Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: The newly appointed Chief Traffic Officer (CTO), Rawalpindi, has reportedly assigned the task to all traffic wardens and lifter operators to increase the number of challans two to threefold and warned that those who failed to come up to the task would have to face the music. In order to comply with the orders of the CTO all the traffic wardens have accelerated the pace of challaning the citizens. This state of affairs has led to wrangling, squabbling and clashes between the citizens and traffic wardens daily. Sources said the CTO Rawalpindi, SSP Sardar Ghias Gul, soon after assumption of the charge of his office issued directives to over 1100 traffic wardens and 900 wardens operating in the field that all the wardens would issue 10,000 challan tickets to the citizens so that violation of traffic rules was curbed fully. These directives have sparked grave concern among the wardens. However all the wardens have set up barricades at several places to achieve their targets. The traffic wardens note the number of any vehicle coming from far off in their challan book and later ask the name of the driver and hand over the ticket to him. The driver and the motorcyclist is taken aback as it becomes incomprehensible for him on what offence he has been given the ticket. Several traffic wardens erect barricades and pickets away from their duty place in order to issue challans to the citizens. When contacted, Wajid Satti, spokesperson of City Traffic Police, while refuting the issuance of orders to any warden for achieving any target said that the CTO had directed the wardens to discharge their duties honestly and earnestly.