Over Rs2 billion from traffic ticket amount missing

Audit finds ‘pilferage’ of more than Rs2 billion over 19 years; recommends inquiry

ISLAMABAD: Often held up as a model for police forces across the country, auditors have discovered massive irregularities worth over Rs2 billion in the process of traffic fine collection by the National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP).

The ‘pilferage of fine money’ was unearthed in a report prepared by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) and recently submitted to the Parliament.



The audit report shows that the NHMP issued traffic tickets to motorists plying the highways, imposing a fine of Rs19.704 billion over the past 19 years.



However, the National Highway Authority (NHA), which is responsible for collecting the fines, only showed that it had collected of Rs17.676 – a shortfall of rs2.029 billion.

The auditors were astonished to know that the irregularity went on for years but the concerned authorities did nothing to stop it.

“Audit observed that the [NHMP] management did not conduct any inquiry to determine the reasons behind the pilferage of the large amounts of public money over the years,” the report said.

The disparities in the fines imposed and the money collected were discovered from the fiscal year 1997-98 all the way through to 2015-16.



“Audit is of the view that non-collection of the full amount by NHA of the fine imposed by the NHMP resulted in a loss of Rs2.029 billion to the government,” the report observed.

The AGP recommended that an inquiry should be conducted into the massive irregularity.

“Audit recommends that a comprehensive inquiry may be conducted jointly by NHMP and NHA in order to bring to light the reasons of pilferage of fine money and people responsible for it.”

The NHMP Road Safety Campaigns, Performance Reward Fund Rules 2007 state that 50 per cent of the total fine deposited by violators would go to the NHMP after reconciliation by the NHA on a monthly basis.



The Motorway Police was raised by the government in 1997 to patrol and enforce traffic and safety laws on the highways and motorways of the country.

An example of its work was witnessed over the Eidul Azha holidays when officials of the police pulled over National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) near Khanqah Dogran for over speeding.

The NA speaker’s car was being driven at 150 kilometres per hour in a section where the speed limit was for 120km/h.

Sadiq was subsequently fined Rs1,250 for the violation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2017.