Court annuls traffic wardens’ posting to Orange Train routes

Past govt had made it mandatory for every district to deploy wardens for Orange Train project

RAWALPINDI: Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench has annulled the orders of sending Rawalpindi’s traffic wardens for duty on Orange Train routes in Lahore.

Justice Abdul Rehman Lodhi’s decision comes in effect from November 1 to stop out-of-station deployment of traffic wardens.

Justice Lodhi had summoned Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Muhammad Fayyaz Dev and gave order that from now, no traffic warden from Rawalpindi will go to Lahore Orange Train for duty, those who are already there, should be called back.

The decision has sent a wave of joy and jubilation among the traffic wardens who were suffering from the draconian directive of the past government. Former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had made it mandatory for every district to send a contingent of wardens to man the traffic along the Orange Train project.

Rawalpindi traffic wardens had filed a petition before LHC Rawalpindi Bench that since 2015 contingents of 70 wardens were being forcefully sent to Lahore to perform duty.

The then Khadim-e-Punjab government had denied travelling allowance, dinning allowance, residence or house rent to these officials of BPS grade 7.

These low-rank employees were forced to stay in shabby quarters on rent sharing basis.

While the men are posted in Lahore, their families suffer needlessly.

Traffic policemen from all 36 districts across Punjab were being forcefully sent to Orange Train route for duty. Traffic wardens are delighted with this verdict.

Another 50 traffic wardens have been sent to Raiwind to perform duty on Tableeghi Jamaat’s gathering.

Just 860 traffic wardens regulate the traffic in Rawalpindi, which spreads over 5.29 km square. When the traffic warden system was launched in the garrison city in 2007, the sanctioned strength of traffic wardens was 1,320 which has since reduced to 860 wardens. Of the available traffic wardens, 115 work in offices and 70 were sent to Lahore to assist the Lahore police during the Orange train project. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2018.