SAHIWAL: The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has started its operations on the premises of the district police office with the construction of a new building.

The project, with an estimated budget of Rs300 million, is a joint effort funded by the PSCA Lahore, the Punjab Intermediary Cities Improvement and Investment Project (PICIIP), Sahiwal, and the Punjab police.

Speaking to Dawn, Managing Director and DIG of the PSCA, Ahsan Younas, said the Sahiwal project marks the authority’s first-phase expansion. “The building was constructed at a cost of Rs60m, with an additional Rs240m allocated for the installation of state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment,” he said.

SP Rana Jawad, head of the Sahiwal Safe City Authority, said 165 high-definition surveillance cameras have been installed across the city and district. Among them, 12 are strategically placed at major entry and exit points to ensure real-time traffic and commuter monitoring.

Additional installations include six emergency panic buttons, five free Wi-Fi zones, 20 body cameras, 20 rugged phones, and two environmental monitoring sensors. These facilities enable citizens in busy marketplaces to seek assistance from police and law-enforcement agencies by simply pressing a button during emergencies.

A drone camera has also been deployed to assist with aerial surveillance.

During the first month of operation, authorities recorded 989 police-related and 290 local government-related observations. The e-challan system was effectively used to detect traffic violations, such as signal breaches and non-payment of fines.

Enforcement efforts led to the identification of 167 e-challan defaulters and 54 cases involving fake or tampered licence plates. The traffic police recovered fines totaling Rs849,100.

SP Jawad added that the 12-member Sahiwal Safe City staff is trained in performance-based policing. The unit offers online support to help curb street crimes, including motorcycle and vehicle theft, robberies and dacoities.

The Safe City Office is also taking environmental concerns seriously. “Two devices have been installed to measure air quality, noise levels and other climate change factors,” he added.

ASSAULT: A teenage boy was allegedly assaulted by two suspects at village 61/12-L, Tehsil Chichawatni, on Wednesday evening.

Okanwala Bangla Police have registered a case against ‘A’ and ‘L’ Ali under section 375 of Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s mother.

Reports said ‘K’ sent her 16-year-old son to a nearby shop to purchase grocery. On his way, he was allegedly abducted by two armed men, who took him to a nearby garden and assaulted him.

The station house officer claimed to have arrested the suspects.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2025