KARACHI – The Sindh government has set the speed limit for heavy vehicles at 30 kilometers per hour, while drug testing for drivers has been made mandatory.
The decisions, which will be implemented immediately, was taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, with provincial ministers Saeed Ghani, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Zia Lanjhar, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, and other officials in attendance.
The measures aim at tackling the rising number of road accidents involving dumper trucks and other heavy vehicles.
During the meeting, IG Sindh briefed that in 2024, over 1.6 million traffic violations were recorded, and fines amounting to Rs1.33 billion was collected. Actions were taken against over 512,000 vehicles, 11,287 drivers were arrested, 650 FIRs were registered against drivers, and 7,555 fitness certificates were canceled.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister expressed his deep concern over the increasing road accidents in the city, saying that traffic and district police should work together to prevent such mishaps.
Shah instructed the authorities to check the driving licenses of all heavy vehicle operators and make the installation of trackers and dash cams in all large vehicles mandatory.
He announced that the speed limit for heavy transport vehicles in Karachi would be 30 kilometers per hour, and departments including Transport, Excise, Licensing Authority, Traffic Police, and NADRA would be connected to ensure effective and synchronized enforcement of traffic laws.
The chief minister also mentioned that the Traffic Engineering Bureau would be reorganized and placed under the mayor’s supervision. International standard training would be made mandatory for drivers before issuing driving licenses.
CM Murad also ordered an action against motorcyclists who do not use helmets and those carrying triple riders.
Murad Ali Shah stated that vehicles whose fitness certificates have been canceled should be confiscated, and those vehicles can only be allowed to operate again after approval from the Transport Department.
