THE area around Karachi airport and the entrances from Star Gate, Civil Aviation Club Road and the main Airport Road have been closed to the public since Nov 19. People have to move via Malir Halt, which is inadequate to cater to the flow of traffic moving towards the Malir area around the airport and onwards till the Super Highway.

Similarly, people coming from Malir Cantonment, areas around Malir, like Model Colony, Tipu Sultan Society, Jinnah Flats, Fazaia Society and beyond, are not allowed to come towards the airport on their way to Sharea Faisal. They all have to go to Malir Halt using the road in front of the offices of the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation. The road is in a dilapidated shape, and traffic jams cause a delay of around an hour.

There are reports that the entire area around the airport will soon be declared a ‘red zone’, and closed to the public. The people at the helm of affairs, who are taking these decisions, are pro-bably not aware of the traffic jams such a decision will cause, the cost of extra fuel people will have to pay for, and the suffering of the people with serious illnesses needing to reach hospitals.

Security is a big issue, but the authorities should install CCTV cameras along all the routes. In fact, this should have been done much earlier. There are other measures that could be taken, rather than ad hoc decisions, causing problems to the public. Creating a nuisance and adding to the misery of the common man seem to be the only mission of the ‘geniuses’ sitting in their ivory towers.

Jawed Sheikh
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024