https://arab.news/952h5
- Traffic jams are frequent during evening rush hours in Karachi, a city with population of over 20 million
- Police chief says challans consume time of commuters and tie up police officers who need to manage traffic flow
KARACHI: Traffic police in Pakistan’s bustling port city of Karachi have been instructed not to issue speeding tickets to commuters during the evening rush hours ahead of the fast-breaking iftar meal, the city’s traffic police chief said on Wednesday.
Traffic volume on the main thoroughfares of Karachi, a city of over 20 million people, usually surges around 6pm in the evening until 9pm as people return to their houses from work. During Ramadan, traffic peaks between 5 p.m. and iftar time a little after 6pm as people rush home to eat after a long day of fasting.
“Traffic police have been instructed to refrain from issuing any challans [tickets] from 5pm until iftar, focusing instead on facilitating smoother traffic flow to enable timely arrivals of people for iftar,” Traffic Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ahmed Nawaz told Arab News.
“We face resource constraints, and engaging traffic police in challan activity would disrupt traffic flow, especially during Ramadan’s peak hours when there is severe traffic on roads and everyone is in a hurry to reach home.”
He said issuing tickets not only consumed the time of the traffic cops but also delayed commuters, adding that policemen had been instructed instead to ensure a smoother flow of traffic.