HE ongoing strike by goods` transporters has paralysed Karachi`s port to the point where the arrival of vessels has been disrupted. Cargo and containers are piling up at the port, and business across the country has been badly affected.

Meanwhile, export consignments are getting delayed due to an insufficient number of containers upcountry. Shortages are being created of basic necessities that are imported. The situation is a reminder of how heavily dependent the economy is on the meagre infrastructure of the Karachi port. A way must be found to end the strike as soon as possible, before it begins to have a greater damaging effect on the economy.

At issue is an order of the Sindh High Court banning the movement of heavy vehicles on the city`s main arterial roads, so that transporters are forced to take a long detour that goes past Hub. The detour is so lengthy that transporters say it adds 200km to their journey, and business owners are not willing to raise their rates to compensate for the additional cost incurred on the movement of goods. There can be little doubt though that the transporters are defying the writ of the high court by persisting with their strike. But it is also true that the provincial government, which has practically taken over all the powers of the local administration in Karachi, has done nothing to build an alternative route for them. At the moment, there is something of a stalemate as construction on an underpass in one area of the city has blocked the only route that the trucks can take to the industrial areas of Korangi, Landhi and Port Qasim. By some estimates, some 7,000 trucks need to make this journey on a daily basis to feed the industry in these localities. Although the transporters are showing some intransigence in continuing with this mode of protest, ultimately the blame must rest with the Sindh government that has failed to plan for the larger vehicular loads that the port city needs to accommodate.

This is not just a matter of building more roads. It involves intricate planning to allow a diverse traffic flow to keep running smoothly.

Unfortunately, planning is one area that the Sindh government is least interested in. This approach must change, because the problem is bound to grow with the passage of time, and more crippling strikes like the current one cannot be afforded.