LAHORE: While the police authorities have been ‘unnecessarily’ delaying the confirmation process and formulation of service rules for the Punjab Traffic Wardens Service (PTWS) for the last one year or so, the performance of the City Traffic Police comprising around 3,100 wardens seems to be at a low ebb now-a-days.
Increasing traffic congestion, growing violations and wardens’ inability to regulate flow of traffic manually have become hallmark of the city roads.
What the motorists complain about wardens is that they issue increasing number of fine tickets a day, show discourteous attitude, often found absent from duty points and show least interest in discharge of their duties.
Traffic wardens are also frequently seen gossiping with each other and attending cell phones away from duty points and even absent from duty at most of the signals and roads of the city.
Their only active presence is either on VVIP routes or on roads where the government highups and police officers frequently travel.
Declining morale and growing frustration among wardens is being linked with the police authorities’ failure to formulate proper procedures and service/promotion rules for the force.
Lack of proper training on the pattern of Punjab police is also a contributing factor to their deteriorating performance.
The highly-educated wardens, who were inducted in BS-14 scale in July 2006 during the tenure of the PML-Q government, have been working half-heartedly without any promotion prospects.
According to official record, around 600 wardens excluding 3,100 have either resigned or joined other departments or have been dismissed from service for prolonged absence.
Despite the fact that 2,800 wardens are still waiting for their confirmations and promotions, the Punjab government recruited 300 more wardens through Punjab Public Service Commission to fill the gap against sanctioned strength of 3,400 a few months ago. The force is still short of 300 wardens.
Interestingly, the newly-recruited lot has been given regular assignments without sending them on training which is compulsory.
According to the ‘letter of offer’ issued on July 6, 2006, the terms and conditions included: “After joining the department, traffic wardens will remain on probation for two years which may be extended for one year by the competent authority for specific reasons in writing. They will draw pay in BS-14 with other emoluments at par with Punjab Highways Patrol i.e. one additional basic pay plus 20 days fixed D.A. and other allowances sanctioned by the government time to time. Wardens will be governed under Police Order 2002 and special rules/standing orders formed by the CTP and for disciplinary matters RSO 2,000 will be applicable. Wardens will be treated as fresh entrants to the police department for all purposes. Their inter se seniority will be fixed on the basis of seniority in age and where date of birth of some officers is the same their inter se seniority will be fixed in alphabetical order.”
The PTWS notification issued on Sept 20, 2007 elaborates basic service structure and promotion criteria.
Following the above-mentioned criteria, wardens are needed to be confirmed after three-year service and their promotion rules are to be formulated by police managers.
A police source associated with the PTWS told Dawn that the former IGP held a meeting in connection with confirming wardens and merging three traffic police cadres-Traffic, Sergeant and Wardens- for formulating service rules in the first quarter of 2011.
He said the IGP issued the minutes with a declaration that two batches of Lahore CTP and wardens of four city districts stood confirmed, adding the IG further ordered to frame rules for their promotions criteria.
The source, however, said proformas of two batches of Lahore traffic wardens had already been sent to the office of the additional IG Punjab in Jan 2012, but no serious efforts had been made so far.
He said the city police chief had also yet to issue formal orders of confirmation of traffic wardens who had completed their three-year probation tenure.
A warden, who wished not to be named, said the morale of force was low because they had no promotion prospects.
He said non-promotion factor was also causing corruption among traffic wardens in connivance with their superiors.
The warden said they were being forced to perform more than eight-hour duty on VVIP routes and in connection with protest rallies.
Another warden, who is serving on The Mall sector, said another demoralising factor was rough attitude of their superiors who were less educated and part of traditional Punjab police.
Criticising the dual standards of traffic police authorities, he said on the one hand wardens were being deprived of their due rights equal to district police with their claim that wardens were not part of police service, but on the other all punishments were being awarded to them under district police rules.
A senior traffic police officer at the Punjab Police Headquarters confirms that there is no progress in deciding the future of the Punjab Traffic Wardens Service comprising around 7,500 wardens.
He said it was quite challenging for the respective authorities to decide the seniority of wardens, who were recruited at a same time, against limited available posts in upper slot of Senior Traffic Wardens.
Citing example of CTP Lahore, he said it would be difficult to promote a majority of wardens, who were recruited on a same date and had already successfully fulfilled promotion criteria, against 215 sanctioned posts of STWs.
He said wardens were supervised by STWs (police inspectors) and Traffic Officers (DSPs) who enjoyed bad repute. Meanwhile, a handout issued by the capital city police spokesman on Monday claimed that CCPO Ahmad Raza Tahir confirmed 1,935 traffic wardens.
However, as many as 1,488 wardens could not be confirmed due to their poor record.
