RAWALPINDI: Chief traffic officers (CTOs) and district police officers (DPOs) across the province have been directed to conduct raids to catch officials involved in roadside corruption, using bogus challan books and taking bribe from public transporters.

The directive was issued by Additional Inspector General of Police (traffic) Mohammad Farooq Mazhar in the light of increasing reports against traffic police for their alleged involvement in corrupt practices and extorting money from road users.

Mr Mazhar in a letter to all city traffic officers, including CTO Rawalpindi Mohammad Bin Ashraf, said there were reports that traffic officials were indulged in corrupt practices and extorting money from road users without any check.

He said despite public complaints and media reports, no steps were taken by the CTOs and DPOs to apprehend the corrupt traffic staff.

Raids should be conducted to catch officials involved in using bogus challan books, taking bribe, says AIG

He said CTOs and DPOs were not only responsible to prevent roadside corruption by the traffic staff on the pretext of challans but also accountable for any organised corruption in the shape of monthly bribe taken from transporters who violated traffic rules and were plying vehicles without documents, route permits and fitness certificates.

The AIG also directed the CTOs to conduct raids to check use of bogus challan books by traffic staff and unauthorised traffic police checkposts.

Criminal and departmental proceedings should be initiated against those found involved in such practices.

While pointing out ‘organised corruption’, the AIG said traffic police personnel allegedly took bribe from transporters and did not take action against them for traffic rule violations.

Bus stand managers who give bribe to the police were issued stickers that were pasted on windscreens of public service vehicles. Similarly, traffic staff also issued cards or chits to vehicles as an organised racket of corruption.

Cash handling of traffic fines was another major issue raised by the AIG traffic as ticket issuing officials take cash after issuing tickets to violators which was not only illegal but also brought a bad name to the department.

The AIG said traffic police officials also allegedly issued licences to unskilled drivers after receiving bribe from the applicants or through touts. A large number of vendors are present around district licensing offices or in district courts but in fact they are touts who have close links with the licensing staff and obtain driving licences. The AIG said it had been observed that traffic staff was not rotated between hard and soft assignments and some officers were repeatedly posted on lucrative posts.

He directed the CTOs and DPOs to take action on complaints regarding corruption in their respective areas.

A traffic police official said vigilance teams should be formed to check corrupt practices in the traffic police as there were some CTOs who reportedly sent their drivers or gunmen in the field to check traffic officials instead of doing the same by themselves.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2019