WHILE travelling on Badian Road, Lahore, l have been caught up in traffic jams several times during the recent months. These traffic jams were mostly caused by overloaded trucks with their goods, mostly agriculture produce, hanging on both sides by about four feet of the actual width of the vehicle.

On my inquiry from the traffic wardens, I was surprised to learn that local traffic rules allow them to challan the vehicle only for a few hundred rupees but the overloaded vehicle is then allowed to move. This creates several traffic jams.

The deputy inspector-general, traffic, Punjab, should get the relevant traffic rules amended to give powers to the traffic wardens to stop the further movement of such vehicles unless the additional cargo hanging on all sides is offloaded in line with the permissible limits.

Basharat Malik

Lahore

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2017