LARKANA: Goods transport operators observed a strike in Larkana on Monday against imposition of a ban on the entry of their trucks and other heavy vehicles into the city.

Condemning the ban that resulted in losses to them and disruption in bringing in supplies from all other parts of the country, they held a demonstration at the main office of city’s the truck stand.

Leaders of the Goods Transport Owners Association, speaking to the media, demanded free movement of the vehicles as per the decision taken by the civil administration in 1998.

Haji Mumtaz Ali Sariyo, the patron in-chief of the association, explained the adverse effects of the new ban.

The leaders pointed out that over 400 daily wage earners engaged in loading and unloading of goods were suffering due to the ban. The goods arriving here from different parts of the country also could not be delivered to the consignees, they added.

They said that the piling up of booked goods would undermine the trade and commercial activities and labourers’ livelihood .

They said a religious party was opposing the presence of trucks traders’ shops in the area on the ‘lame excuse’ that frequent and unruly movement of heavy vehicles was causing traffic mess.

They attributed the mess to inefficiency of the traffic police.

It is learnt that the Larkana Assistant Commissioner, Raja Khan Qureshi, realising gravity of the situation, convened a meeting in his office on Monday evening to sort out the issue.

Secretary Regional Transport Authority Aijaz Ali Surhiyo, DSP Paras Bakhrani, mukhtiarkar and senior traffic police officers attended the meeting.

The transport secretary pointed towards the traffic congestion and said that heavy vehicles were problematic.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2025