Balochistan People Call For State Owned Public Transport Facilities In Big Cities

Residents of Balochistan province are still waiting for sate-run public transports facilities similar to Metro Bus Service in Punjab as number of road accidents have increased considerably due to high density of vehicles in big cities of the province.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Sep, 2018 ) :Residents of Balochistan province are still waiting for sate-run public transports facilities similar to Metro Bus Service in Punjab as number of road accidents have increased considerably due to high density of vehicles in big cities of the province.

Huge traffic congestion, particularly in Quetta city, needs urgent attention of the authorities as most of the roads cannot sustain the pressure of traffic, leading to congestion and environmental problems.

Secretary Transport Authority (PTA) Asmat Ullah Kakar said that the summary of tracking system is in pipeline with regards to high speed driving. He said warning will be issued on over speed of 90 km/h and on repeating the crime, the license of driver could be cancelled and the vehicle could also be busted.

He said that the over speeding was the main cause of traffic accidents. Traffic issue in Balochistan is getting worse with every coming day, especially in big cities.

With increasing population, the problem of traffic control has become very acute in almost all the big cities of the province. "We are sending a summary to Federal government to upgrade existing major roads to two-ways," he said.

Traffic jams are another issue in Quetta where people waste hours. "We are in contact with DIG traffic and Mayor Quetta to solve the problem and facilitate the citizens. PTA and traffic police department will improve the conditions of roads," he said adding the provincial government is doing maximum efforts to avoid traffic jams and other traffic problems in Balochistan He said traffic signals should also be installed at every crossing point to avoid rush in the morning, afternoon and evening on roads.

There will be fewer chances of accidents and traffic will move smoothly in the big cities of Balochistan and people will find themselves easy in driving.

People, he said do not have traffic sense where traffic police and media have to educate public.

The Secretary said following the orders of High Court, the PTA is taking strict action against public transports which were not maintained properly and were older than 2006. He said the smoke belching vehicles and overloading will be also be charged fine.

Responding to a question, he said there is no over charging in fare and the PTA is updating the charges list on monthly basis.

With the consultation of Mayor Quetta, he said parking areas would be specified in Quetta which will help reduce traffic pressure on roads.

He said that the Government of Balochistan has accorded high priorities to Transport Sector as the sector needs to be improved through continuous process of reforms supported by focused investments.

However, more investment is required to develop this sector not only for the higher development but also for the improvement of regional connectivity and prosperity with the neighboring countries, he said.

In addition to public investment and reforms efforts, higher investment from private sector was also needed, he added.