KARACHI: The city suffered severe traffic congestion on key road links on Saturday as development works of Red Line BRT project on University Road, sewerage line replacement on Jehangir Road and a protest by oil tanker owners near Bilawal House Chworangi in Clifton against kidnapping of one of their colleagues led to massive citywide congestion causing thousands of vehicles to trap in various gridlocks.

Only on Friday the Sindh transport minister took notice of traffic congestion on University Road due to Red Line BRT work and asked the traffic police to make arrangements for hassle free movement, but situation failed to improve even after 24 hours.

On Jehangir Road, the long-awaited work of replacement of the sewage line triggered a massive traffic jam on the key road link leading up Guru Mandir from Liaquatabad.

The main artery connecting the district Central with the Guru Mandir witnessed a severe traffic jam where hundreds of vehicles were lined up finding no space to move due to blockade of major portion of the road due to construction of the sewerage system.

Oil tankers protest

The situation remained the same in South district for the different reason.

An oil tankers association blocked main road near Bilawal House Chworangi in Clifton on Saturday in protest against kidnapping of an oil tanker transporter, who had travelled from Peshawar to Karachi and went back to Ghotki to purchase an excavator, but fell into a kidnappers’ trap, officials said on Saturday.

Imran Afridi was kidnapped in Katcha (riverine) area of Ghotki through a ‘honey trap’, South-SSP Syed Asad Raza said.

Imran came from Peshawar to Karachi recently.

“He has been honey trapped into purchasing an excavator and he travelled to Ranwati Katcha area of Ghotki where he has been kidnapped for ransom,” the officer added.

The police suspect ‘Shar gang’ is behind the incident.

“The call data record of the kidnappers reflects their location in Ranwati, Ghotki,” said the officer.

The South-SSP said that oil tankers association had staged simultaneous protests in Clifton, Karachi, bordering areas of Kash­more and Khyber Agency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for recovery of the kidnapped transporter.

The blockade continued for two and half hours causing severe problems for road users.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2022