Traffic wardens finally promoted after 10 years

40 of the officials elevated in the first phase

LAHORE: After waiting patiently for 10 long years, 40 traffic wardens have finally been promoted. They were elevated to the rank of senior traffic wardens during a ceremony at the Capital City Police Officer’s Office on Friday.

CCPO Amin Wains, SSP Admin Ayyaz Salim, CTO Rai Ijaz Ahmad, SP City and SP Saddar traffic were present on the occasion. CCPO pinned the new ranks on the wardens’ uniforms.

It was for the first time since the inception of the force in 2007 that wardens were promoted. They had been working at the same rank for over a decade.

Traffic wardens were introduced by the PML-Q government in 2007. At the time, authorities provided them with better pay scales compared to other departments and they were employed directly as sub-inspectors.

However, their service structure was not formulated at that time. It took at least 10 years for the government to consider their grievances. The decision to promote traffic wardens was taken in November 2016 during a high level meeting chaired by Punjab IGP Mushtaq Sukhera.

He ordered Traffic DIG Farooq Mazhar to devise a service structure and promote them accordingly.

This was the first phase of the promotion of wardens. The rest of them will also be promoted gradually. The process to take the rest of them in the loop was in the pipeline.

Speaking on the occasion, CCPO Amin Wains said he was a part of this force himself as he served as SP Traffic Lahore, SP Headquarters, CTO and DIG Traffic. He congratulated them and their families on the promotion.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2017.