The National Highway Authority (NHA) and Motorway Police (MP) ready to serve gigantic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) routes and Karachi-Lahore Motorway with additional modern equipment, facilities and workforce as it would face proliferating responsibilities after the completion of CPEC and the upcoming new major arteries.

Talking to APP, Senior Superintendent of NHA and MP, Commander Sector M-2 North Chakri, Jamil Hashmi believed that extra force was required on urgent basis to meet the challenge of enormous and unique traffic bulge in the form of CPEC linked new routes and almost completed Karachi-Lahore Motorway.

He was keen in his view to mention that the workforce, state-of-the-art equipment and a comprehensive policy were contributing towards the department’s efficiency, reckoned to be more disciplined, public friendly and quick response unit as compared to other policing departments of the country.

The present paraphernalia and force was sufficient for the given domain while it would need increase in its resources to amicably render its services for new routes, he added NH and MP’s prime function was to ensure smooth flow of traffic, educating every commuter of highways and motorway and enforce law to lessen the accident ratio, he added.

“Most of the accidents occur on Motorway due to slow moving carries and cars in the right lane where they are prescribed to use extreme left side”, he said.

Hashmi remarked that, “apart from patrolling, it is a multipurpose force trained to provide first aid in any emergency, water to commuters and change tyres of vehicles where it also provides money to the people who are out resources at their journey which is unprecedented.”

“The extra duty will definitely taint the much-appreciated performance of the force,” he said.

Chief Patrolling Officer (CPO), Abdul Majid Malik said that NH&MP has evolved from the day one where it never compromised on its standards and vision of public safety and security. In the beginning, the force had limited resources, equipment and issues pertaining to mess and residence while at present it had sufficient resources catering to its requirements.

To avoid the same situation in the coming days, fresh recruits would play crucial role to deal with upcoming long routes under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as upon its completion it would likely to load more tasks on the force.

Majid expressing his concerns over the paucity of workforce said, “The limited number of staff serving a massive thoroughfare would make it difficult for the force to conduct its operations with consistency and precision.”

He urged the authorities concerned to adopt pro-active approach by preparing a management plan in anticipation.

It may be mentioned here that NH&MP has displayed informatory, mandatory and regulatory or warning traffic signboards after every kilometer for facilitation of the road users along with its helpline 130 call booth and conducted marathon round of education drives through Mobile Education Unit.

It also updates commuters every moment about weather and road situation of the desired location through its radio channel FM-95.

The NHA and MP has setup movie points at various interchanges of motorway to monitor fitness of vehicles and record video of passengers traveling on the route for identification and security purposes.

The force under its ‘drowsing at wheels’ campaign helps drivers with droopy eyes or intoxicated condition to wash their faces and also prohibits them to travel to avoid any untoward situation.