RAWALPINDI: The city’s traffic police is short on staff after over 200 traffic wardens left for Lahore to assist the Lahore’s traffic police during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final on Sunday.

This has also led to the aggravation of the city’s traffic problems and citizens will have to wait till Tuesday for the traffic issue to return to its normal mayhem when the traffic police officials will return to their duties in Rawalpindi.

City Traffic Officer (CTO) Chaudhry Yousaf Shahid said he had made alternate arrangements by deploying the traffic police’s clerical staff at various points to maintain the smooth flow of traffic.

The traffic police has also attributed the traffic jams, especially the increased flow on Murree Road, to the re-carpeting of Rawal Road which has been going on for several months and the reconstruction of the I.J Principal Road.

Clerical staff deployed at various points to regulate traffic

“The traffic problems are not due to the absence of the 208 traffic wardens because alternate arrangements were made in that regard. Problems arise when there are protest rallies on Murree Road.

Traffic burden has increased on Murree Road due to the re-carpeting of Rawal Road and the construction work on I.J Principal Road,” CTO Chaudhry Yousaf Shahid said.

The areas where traffic jams are more common are Kutchery Chowk, Marrir Chowk, Liaquat Bagh, Naz Cinema Chowk, Haider Road, Bank Road and Kashmir Chowk.

Only 806 traffic wardens are available to regulate the thousands of vehicles in the city, which spreads over 5.2 kilometres.

The sanctioned strength of the city’s traffic wardens was 1,320 when launched in 2007 for Rawalpindi city only. However, the 860 traffic wardens also regulate traffic in other tehsils of Rawalpindi district.

Of the 1,320 officers, 269 left the department or were dismissed from service, 116 work in various offices, 70 were sent to Lahore to assist the police with the Orange Train project, 10 were sent on special duty to Gujranwala and 5 to Sialkot.

Over 200 traffic wardens and contingents of the Elite Force, Punjab Constabulary and women police officials left for Lahore on Thursday to help the Lahore police in handling traffic and maintain law and order during the PSL final. These include 32 women police officers led by three women sub-inspectors.

Three sections of Elite Commandoes from Rawalpindi, two section of the Elite Force each from Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal were also sent to Lahore, with one section of the Elite Force consisting of six officials.

District police officer Attock, SP Sihala Police College and DSP traffic Chakwal also left for Lahore to assist the Lahori police during the PSL.

About 20 reserves of the Punjab Constabulary had also been called by the Rawalpindi police to assist the local police during the Economic Cooperation Organisation summit which ended on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2017