The growing number of accidents is in proportion to the encroachments on the city roads and National Highways. It is the drivers’ ingenuity which keeps people safe of the dangers and at times that also turns as a bane and claims human lives like what happened recently when a private bus grazed a tipper while overtaking at Chadwal. In the accident two women and nine-year-old lost lives. Less said about city roads especially stretches from Janipur, Talab Tillo, Satwari Chowk, Bikram Chowk and Kachhi Chawani areas where you drive your vehicle at a pedestrian’s pace, the better. It is chaos and mismanagement personified. Despite slow driving due to encroachments and traffic congestions the rate of accidents has increased manifold and even the encroachers have not spared the service lanes on National Highway. Adding to the woes of road users is the unannounced stoppages by matador drivers in lure of one or two extra passengers. All this is happening when we are talking of SMART policing and modern ways of traffic management. The agencies concerned to check encroachments, traffic jams and overcrowding have not awakened from the lethargic slumber as they find the system is conducive to their health. There is literally a mess everywhere with traders extending their shops to footpath and roads. Parking is at driver’s convenience anywhere and everywhere. One such project in city to make traffic run smooth, the Shakuntala-Janipur fly-over project conceived in 2008 to decongest the high-vehicle density stretch, remains in cold storage till date and nobody knows the fate of the project. No one is ready to take the cudgels to counter violators in retrospect there is a nexus at all levels encouraging in illegal and unlawful practice for some monetary benefits at the cost of people’s lives.
