Schools in Rawal Town to remain closed on Chehlum: DCO
Rawalpindi-District Coordination Officer (DCO) Talat Mehmood Gondal yesterday announced that all education institutions (both government and private) located in Rawal Town areas would remain closed on Monday November 21, due to Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), says a notification.
Separately, City Police Officer (CPO) Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi announced his plan for guarding the mourning procession that would be carried out on Chehlum.
CPO said that about 3,000 police personnel would be deployed for special security duties on Monday. He noted that beside the police personnel, there would be nine companies of army, one company of rangers, and special branch of police, elite police, women police, and Punjab constabulary personnel deployed on the special duty.
Members of district peace committees will also perform their duties on the Chehlum day.
Mourners will be allowed to join the procession that would start from Imambargah Ashiq Hussain in Tali Mohalla from specific points.
The spots to join the procession would be set up at Fawara Chowk, Liaqat Road, Committee Chowk, Kashmiri Bazaar, Bansawala Chowk, Banni Chowk, and Sarafa Bazaar. The procession would pass through its traditional route and would end at Qadeemi Imambargah in Raja Bazaar. On the route of the procession, CCTV cameras have been installed. No one would be allowed to stand on their roofs on the route.
Armed policemen would stand guard on rooftops. Special checking of the procession route would be carried out before start of the procession. Bomb disposal squad will remain alert to handle any untoward situation.
Every participant of the procession will be subjected to security checking before he or she joins the procession.
The police will carry out checking in four sets. First the police will have body search of every participant. Secondly the police will check the participant with metal detector. The will again carry out body search of every participant and finally the police will use walkthrough gates for scanning of the participants. The women police will carry out body search of women in veils.
The police will close all roads and streets leading to the procession route with barbed wire and with blocks. Police will set up pickets at outer and inner cordons.
No vehicle or motorcycle will be allowed to be parked on the procession route.
Police will also have aerial surveillance of the procession routes. Police will carry out checking of all houses, hostels, and hotels located in the route of the mourning procession.
Police will also allow entry for the procession from the back side the mourners and not from the middle or from the front of the procession.
Meanwhile, city traffic police issued its traffic plan for the Chehlum day. According to the plan shared by Chief Traffic Officer Shahid Yousaf, traffic on Benazir Bhutto Road would remain normal.
However, all traffic from Committee Chowk towards Iqbal Road, from Liaqat Chowk to DAV College Road and to Liaqat Road will not be allowed.
No traffic from Novality Chowk towards Kashmiri Bazaar in Raja Bazaar will be allowed. Traffic from Ganjmandi Road towards Fawara Chowk will not be allowed. No traffic from Shah Allah Ditta Road will be allowed towards Raja Bazaar.
Further a diversion will be set up in front of Roshan Bakery at Jamia Masjid Road for traffic coming from Banni Chowk.
Another diversion will be set up at Hamilton Chowk stopping traffic going towards Dingi Khui and Shah Allah Ditta Chowk in Raja Bazaar.
The CTO said that all traffic officers and wardens would remain alert on the Chehlum day and would strictly follow the traffic plan.
Burglars sweep shops in Ganjmandi area
Unknown burglars broke into dozens of grocery and merchant shops at Ganjmandi and escaped with cash of worth millions of rupees, reliable sources disclosed to The Nation yesterday.
Police started investigation after receiving complaints lodged by the shopkeepers.
According to sources, a gang of unknown burglars broke into dozens of shops through rooftops and looted cash. A police team led by Police Station (PS) Ganjmandi rushed to the crime scene and collected evidences and recorded the statements of the shopkeepers.
Cases were registered against the burglars, sources said.
On the other hand, the street crimes have increased in several areas of city. A total of 72 incidents of purse snatching, cash and mobile snatching, dacoities and house robberies have been reported in 29 police stations of the district, sources said. Similarly, the auto theft gangs are much active within limits of Police Stations Race Course, New Town and Sadiqabad. In Pirwadhai, gang of swindlers deprived several people of cash and mobile phones.
Burglars and dacoits looted a total of 27 shops in precinct of PS Waris Khan in time span of seven days.
Meanwhile, police, following instructions of City Police Officer (CPO) Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi, busted three gangs by arresting nine members besides recovering eight pistols from their possession. Police, during an action against drug mafia, registered 85 cases against drug peddlers and recovered 43kg of hashish and 480 bottles of liquor. Police also held 25 proclaimed offenders during action.