RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has issued a notification regarding the Punjab Police Traffic Warden System for 30 districts of the province, directing the authorities to make arrangements for recruitments to fill the vacancies.

The notification was issued after the approval of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday, however rules regarding the recruitment, promotion and designation of members of the service, the posts they may occupy and other issues shall be notified separately.

The traffic warden system was earlier in functioning in Lahore and five districts of the province, including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot.

City Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi Chaudhry Yousaf Shahid told Dawn the traffic authorities have received the notification for establishing the Punjab Police Traffic Warden System though details regarding the recruitment of traffic assistants and junior wardens and other rules were yet to be received as they were not yet finalised by the concerned authorities.

“We do not know how much it will take to complete the process,” he said.

The CTO explained that under the new system, traffic wardens will be transferred or sent to other districts for assignments. The practice of transferring traffic wardens to other districts where the traffic warden system was not functioning was not exercised before.

At present, 6,800 traffic wardens work in the six districts including Rawalpindi, which has been facing a shortage of manpower since the system was launched in 2007.

Just 860 traffic wardens regulate the traffic in Rawalpindi, which spreads over 5.29 km square. When the traffic warden system was launched in the garrison city in 2007, the sanctioned strength of traffic wardens was 1,320 which has since reduced to 860 wardens. Of the available traffic wardens, 115 work in offices and 70 were sent to Lahore to assist the Lahore police during the Orange train project.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2017