SIALKOT
Police have failed to control traffic in the city and other busy junctions as result of which there is total traffic chaos due to which road accidents and traffic jams had become a daily routine.
The police personnel instead of controlling the traffic reportedly remain busy in money-making and have given a free hand to public services vehicles to stop wherever they want. The wrong parking of private vehicles, rickshaws and vans on busy roads creates hurdles in smooth flow of traffic.
Owing to mismanagement, the roads remain blocked in the presence of policemen. It is observed that most of the policemen deputed for controlling traffic are found busy on mobile phones, eating and smoking instead of discharging duties. Coaches, buses and vans plying on different routes block roads just for picking or dropping passengers in peak hours.
Traffic particularly remains jams at Anwar Club Road, Kutchary Road, Pul Aik area, Abbot Road, Paris Road, Lorry Adda and Kashmir roads for a long time during peak hours but there is no policeman to handle the situation. Buses of a private college remain parked on both sides of Anwar Club Road that hinder the smooth flow of traffic.
In various parts of the city, traffic signals are out of order while the timing of these signals is not correct as result of which the road users are facing hardships. It has also been witnessed that a large number of underage children, handicapped and physically unfit persons drive rickshaws without license but the police never made an effort to check the violation.
A number of unfit vans most of them even without doors also ply on different routes. The police use powers to intercept motorcyclists in the streets. To ensure smooth flow of traffic, the policemen should be deputed at all the road crossings and junctions with strict instructions to efficiently control traffic for avoiding traffic jams.
Sialkot Traffic Police should take immediate step for checking license, underage and handicapped drivers for ensuring the supremacy of law, said socio-political circles. They also appealed to the high-ups of traffic police to take immediate steps for removing the illegal rickshaw stands from Chowk Allama Iqbal, Lorry Adda, Kashmir Road. They also sought special attention on clearing the Anwar Club Road from illegal parking of collage vans.