A commandant and a jeep

This is with reference to the above-titled letter published in your newspaper on Oct 30. It is clarified that the traffic police have a mandate to ensure the smooth flow of traffic so that all road-users find a clear passage. The emergency services vehicles are, however, given priority. Besides, following the acts of terrorism on traffic signals, it is considered expedient to provide a clear passage to the personnel of law-enforcement agencies.

In case of any misconduct reported on the part of a traffic police official, the matter is strictly dealt with in accordance with the provisions of "The Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act 2006". The official is served with a show-cause notice, and penalised if he is proved guilty and/or fails to give a satisfactory reply. No person is penalised arbitrarily or without given the chance of a proper hearing.

During the summer season, a number of roads in Murree were undergoing major repairs. In order to facilitate the general tourists/commuters, it was a departmental SOP that traffic duty would be deployed on all the points/section of roads where repair work was in progress. Incidentally some traffic wardens were moved to other points during the VIP movement. On the same day, the Rawalpindi city police officer personally toured the entire Murree area and found a number of traffic wardens absent from Rawalpindi-Murree Road. Absentees were dealt with strictly under the rules and were offered the opportunity of a personal hearing. Absentees were penalised not because of the movement of the VIP, rather they were penalised for their absence from routine duty. It is expected that all traffic wardens should perform their duties diligently. Failing to do so, they are liable to be proceeded against under the disciplinary rules.