FAISALABAD, Nov 9: The Police Department will replace traffic highway police with wardens in all parts of the district, Dawn has learnt.

The wardens were fielded in the Faisalabad city in March last.

Sources said Inspector General Shaukat Javed had asked the deputy inspector general (DIG) of traffic police to withdraw the traffic highway police from rural areas of the district and replace them with traffic wardens.

Talking to Dawn, City Traffic Police Officer Manzoor Sarwar said the IG had showed his reservation over two parallel systems—traffic wardens and traffic highway police—in the district.

About the fate of the traffic highway police, he said all employees of this cadre would be on the disposal of the traffic DIG police for onward appointments. However, he did not know the exact figure of traffic highway police employees to be pulled out from the rural areas.

Traffic wardens regulating the traffic in urban towns will take over Samundri, Chak Jhumra, Tandlianwala and Jaranwala towns.

Faisalabad has four circles—City, Civil Lines, Peoples Colony and Headquarters being looked after by a deputy superintendent of police called senior traffic officer. All circles have been divided into 11 sectors headed by inspectors or senior traffic wardens. Up to 1,000 wardens, including 50 women wardens, regulate the city traffic.

About the deployment of wardens in rural towns, he said modalities were being finalised. He said after the approval of the DIG traffic, wardens would be deployed in the remaining parts of the district.

Traffic wardens said the pronouncement acknowledged the services being extended by them for traffic regulation. They demanded that the government also provide them residences and uniforms.