Islamabad DC comes to the rescue of commuters

Islamabad DC comes to the rescue of commuters

Islamabad : The Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Hamza Shafqaat, finally decided to take an initiative to help mitigate the sufferings of commuters using the Islamabad Highway/Expressway to reach their offices/businesses and educational institutions every day.

The Deputy Commissioner was briefed in his office about the ordeal the commuters face on the week days because of the extremely over-loaded heavy traffic, moving at snails’ pace and frequently interrupting the smooth flow of traffic by ‘over-taking’. Especially up and down on the two-lane Islamabad Highway beyond Nullah Korang bridge towards Rawat.

“It is a mental and even physical torture we, the commuters, have to bear every morning and evening because of these trucks and trailers, overloaded beyond all scientific justifications and in stark violation of the prevailing laws. And to further complicate the matters the unruly tractor-trolleys are there to add salt to the wounds,” the Deputy Commissioner was informed.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat, after listening to the grievances, promised to issue directions for restraining all kind of heavy traffic moving from Rawat towards Islamabad from 7 am to 9 am and similar restraining of all kind of heavy traffic moving from Islamabad towards Rawat from 5 pm to 7 pm.

“I am going to write the letters to the Inspector-General of Police as well as the Senior Superintendent of Police-Traffic of Islamabad to make sure that the movement of heavy traffic is strictly restrained during these timings, at least for the week days to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and help the commuters,” DC Hamza Shafqaat said.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) indeed could have played a big role to provide relief to the commuters travelling on this particular route every day of the week by taking a couple of traffic load management measures.

However, the interest and enthusiasm to perform their duties is found lacking amongst the ITP officials. All ranks! Evidently, the ITP is completely focused upon issuing traffic tickets to those committing minor traffic rules violations.

One has never seen the ITP launching a similar campaign against over loading, lane violations, traffic signal jumping, and wrong overtaking, which cause much serious accidents.

When Sultan Azam Taimuri took over the charge of the office of the Inspector-General of Police in Islamabad, after staying away from the federal capital for a long time, and was approached by a group of concerned citizens living in various private housing societies beyond Korang nullah bridge on both sides of the Islamabad Highway, he responded quickly and in a pragmatic manner.

He issued directions to the then Senior Superintendent of Police of the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) to manage the flow by restraining all kinds of heavy traffic, mainly trucks, oil tankers and long trailers, entering Islamabad from G.T Road near Rawat in North for two hours in the morning from 7 am to 9 am and apply the same rule for two hours from 5 pm to 7 pm for heavy traffic moving from South towards North on the Islamabad Highway.

However, the ITP applied this ‘Taimuri formula’ only for the morning and left the commuters returning to their homes in the evening out there on the roads and highways to toil further after a hectic day in their offices, schools, businesses and whatever.

But now even in the morning the ITP officials are not particularly observing this restriction imposed on the movement of heavy traffic as one can see some trucks and trailers creeping down the road between 7 am to 9 am.

People living in settlements beyond Nullah Korang on both sides of the Islamabad Highway have heaved a sigh of relief and expressed hope that the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad will fulfill his promise to make their life somewhat comfortable.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/404823-islamabad-dc-comes-to-the-rescue-of-commuters