No Unjust Challan by amotorway Police, Aleem Khan Assures Goods Transporters

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan has said that all commitments made to transporters will be fulfilled and not a single unjust challan by the motorway police will be allowed, while complaints regarding weigh stations on highways will be addressed promptly.

The federal minister directed the Secretary Communications, Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) and Inspector General Motorways to visit highways and review the issues faced by transporters. He said strict compliance with prescribed weight and speed limits would be ensured, but no vehicle complying with the rules would be issued a challan.

He said arrangements were also being made for the issuance of driving licences by the motorway police, while important policies had been formulated to make the motorway police and NHA more public-friendly institutions.

According to APP, Aleem Khan urged transporters to comply with the axle-load policy, saying it was in their own interest. He said overloading damaged both vehicles and roads.

He expressed these views while addressing a reception hosted by the Goods Transporters in Karachi in his honour following successful negotiations with the government.

The minister said decisions in the national interest must be taken and their implementation ensured. He said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had assigned him the special task of chairing the committee constituted to resolve the transporters’ issues, and the committee had successfully completed its task.

He appreciated the leadership of the Goods Transporters Alliance for engaging in continuous negotiations for nine days, saying transporters were of vital importance to the national economy and their cooperation was essential for the country’s development.

Aleem Khan said that if required, he would personally visit roads and highways to assess the problems faced by transporters.

The federal minister received a warm welcome upon his arrival at the transporters’ camp, where participants raised slogans in his support and showered him with flower petals. President Goods Transporters Alliance Malik Shehzad Awan also presented him with a traditional Sindhi Ajrak.

Malik Shehzad Awan thanked the government and the federal minister for accepting the transporters’ demands.

Owais Chaudhry Advocate, Imdad Hussain Naqvi, Chaudhry Qamar-uz-Zaman Gul, Azhar Siraj, Rauf Khan Bala, Malik Sher Khan and Malik Haji Farid, among others, were also present on the occasion.