JHANG, Dec 2: Social and political circles have expressed grave concern over the callous attitude of the traffic police for they have completely failed in controlling and regulating the traffic in and around Jhang.

Talking to Dawn, Jhang Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jamshed Anwar said the situation on all roads particularly the road linking South Punjab and other southern parts of the country with the Motorway in the north was quite deplorable.

Keeping in view the heavy flow of vehicles of all kinds from trailers to rickshaws, traversing this road through the city centre in the absence of any bypass is quite a painful experience, he says.

To cope with the situation, Mr Anwar has suggested the installation of traffic signals on at least four points on this road as the construction of underpasses or overhead bridges on these busy crossings is not even a distant possibility.

The absence of any traffic signals results in frequent and long traffic jams on these crossings. Ironically, the district police high-ups do not bother to ensure the presence of traffic police personnel on these junctions to regulate the undisciplined traffic.

Abdul Qudoos Khan, a local politician, claims that the traffic policemen supposed to be standing in the middle of the road are usually found sitting in roadside cafes.

The traffic control on this road or any other road of the city was not a problem a few years ago. However, with the construction of the motorway in 1997, the bulk of vehicular traffic heading for upcountry has started preferring this route for being a shorter one.

The road which enters Jhang municipality area at Chungi Bhakar Road, passes through the thickly-populated areas of Chandanwala, Baghwala, Burjiwala, Islamia High School, Yousaf Shah Road crossing, Sessions Chowk, Gohar Shah, Ayub Chowk and Marzipura, before leaving the city at Adhiwal after covering a six kilometre distance.

Thousands of trailers, trucks, buses, wagons and cars pass daily on this single-lane road for their onward journey in long caravans, creating a vehicular wall, practically dividing the city into two parts.

Entirely indifferent to this situation is surprisingly the city traffic police. No effort has either been made by the police department or the city tehsil government to install traffic signals at main crossings like Adhiwal Chowk, Ayub Chowk, Sessions Chowk, Yousaf Shah Road Chowk and Ganda Toya.

Similarly, the traffic policemen are not present at this congested road to control traffic even during the peak hours, which results in hours of traffic jams. Not only on this road, but also nowhere in Jhang the traffic police are seen for their only function seem to be collecting booty from truck drivers.

Onwards on the Jhang-Sargodha Road, there is another point, Riwaz Bridge on river Chenab, 15kms from here, which speaks volumes for the apathy of the traffic police.

This century-old single lane bridge allows traffic from only one side at a time while the traffic from the opposite side has to wait till the clearance of the road. Sometimes the commuters have to wait for hours due to the heavy volume of traffic.

Two policemen each are posted at the either end of the bridge, but they prefer resting in the adjacent quarters instead of regulating the traffic. The only solution to this problem is the installation of traffic signals or the posting of efficient traffic police personnel for the smooth flow of traffic.