LAHORE, Sept 20: The Lahore High Court on Thursday directed the city traffic officer to deploy at least three officers of DSP rank outside the main entrance to Lahore General Hospital besides ensuring presence of wardens for 20 hours a day.

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh passed this order disposing of a writ petition against the removal of a U-turn in front of the hospital to facilitate construction of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).

The acting CTO and officers of the Traffic Engineering Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) appeared before the court and stated the barricades placed at the U-turn had been removed and additional wardens deployed at the entry point of the hospital.

The officers undertook that an easy access to the hospital would be ensured for patients, visitors and ambulances.

Justice Sheikh remarked that the court would not tolerate any negligence in this regard and disposed of the petition.

Advocate Shahzad Nasir filed the petition and submitted that the Punjab government launched the BRTS project and authorities removed U-turn in front of the hospital. He said the U-turn had been repositioned at a distance of four kilometres from the main entrance of the hospital.

The petitioner pleaded that the shifting of the U-turn had been causing serious problems to visitors/patients and the ambulances in particular. He said the ambulances had to take a long drive to reach the hospital.

He prayed that the respondent authorities should be ordered to shift the U-turn to its previous position.