THE transport owners and workers have paralyzed the country for last couple of days by administering strike amidst the demand for road safety by the people of all social strata led by school-college students. The demand for vehicular movement with fitness certificate, licensed driver and exemplary punishment for killing people on roads for faulty vehicle or disavowing traffic rules when jolted entire nation, transport owners suspended vehicle movement apparently to put pressure on the government. Undoubtedly, a vested quarter of the government plays the tricky game to stronghold their power in exchange for innocent life on roads. The first ever juvenile revolt against the state mismanagement in the traffic system, that snatch 25,000 lives in three and a half years in the country, showed us the vehicles of administrative and political elite ply the city roads without the driving license.
News media reported that suspension of bus services between the capital and other districts has been causing untold sufferings to thousands of people. We see, whenever there is a strong protest against anomalies in the transport sector owners and workers’ leaders halt services, which is nothing but a trick to weaken the justified movement of people. As per the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983, any unannounced strike by transport owners is a punishable offence.
Just when the prime minister has given directives to bring certain reforms to the transport sector — they have played the same old trick. Such attitude of the transport owners is a major barrier to improving good governance and establishing the rule of law in this sector. It cannot be accepted anymore.
