LAHORE: Lahore’s traffic situation has reached a boiling point, with citizens facing severe congestion and gridlocks, particularly during the past few days.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has expressed her displeasure over the worsening traffic situation and has questioned the eligibility criteria for the posting of the Lahore city traffic officer (CTO).

According to an official, the chief minister conveyed her strong annoyance to the inspector general of police for not bringing relief to the citizens ahead of Eidul Azha.

The official claimed the chief minister said the government has spent billions of rupees on building flyovers, underpasses, U-turns and signal-free corridors to facilitate the fast-growing vehicular population of the city but still the traffic police failed in improving the traffic flow to provide relief to the public.

Questions eligibility criteria for the posting of CTO

The issue came to light when thousands of citizens, including families, got stuck in traffic jams at Shahpur Kanjran and other cattle markets. Many were unable to reach the markets and faced severe inconvenience. The citizens also faced troubles at entry/exit points of the city and at bus stands.

The Special Branch of the Punjab Police and other departments reported the traffic mismanagement to the chief minister. The Punjab Safe City Authority also exposed the inability of the CTO Lahore through camera footage.

The citizens have been facing intolerable traffic jams, particularly in the evenings and nights, while coming out for Eid shopping.

The traffic chaos has become a permanent feature on major arteries of the city, including The Mall, Jail Road, and Main Boulevard of Gulberg.

The bus stands at Lorry Adda, and Niazi Adda were the other most troubling points for the citizens where they witnessed long queues of vehicles, driving in different lanes and hooting at their noisy horns.

An official said Lahore CTO Ammara Athar was saved by IGP Dr Usman Anwar and other senior police officers, seeking more time and chance to bring improvement in traffic management issues.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2024