LAHORE: Following the rising number of deaths and injuries in traffic accidents due to one-way rule’s violations, the city traffic police have decided to lodge criminal cases against the violators, besides imposing Rs2,000 fine.

It will so far be the most strict punishment for an offense falling in the category of traffic rule violation. The city traffic police in a recent awareness campaign declared the one-way rule’s violation tantamount to ‘an attempt to commit suicide’.

Taking to the media persons here on Tuesday, Lahore Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Dr Assad Malhi said the traffic police’s record showed the motorists had not been taking the one-way rule violation seriously. He warned that such violations mostly resulted in fatal accidents.

Quoting from data, he said more than 225,000 challans were issued for violation of the one-way rule this year in Lahore. “Despite heavy challans, a large number of drivers do not follow one-way rule,” Dr Malhi said.

He said the violation was also causing traffic disruption on various major roads of the city.

Given the grave situation, he said, a traffic police meeting was held recently to further tighten the noose around the violators.

“It was decided [at the meeting] that the traffic police would lodge cases for committing the one-way traffic rule violation under Section 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC),” he said, adding that no heavy vehicle would be allowed to enter the city without having fitness certificates after Dec 5.

Heavy vehicles plying on city roads at night were causing smog, the CTO said, adding the vehicles carrying sand, mud without tarpaulin cover would also not be allowed in the city.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2022