Smart lockdown affects traffic flow in Lahore

Markets being kept shut on weekend

LAHORE:

Commuters are facing problems in moving around the provincial capital after the sealing of seven main areas to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The sealed areas include posh localities of the city as well congested ones. They include all phases of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Gulberg, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Garden Town, Faisal Town, Model Town and Walled City.

The areas house millions of people, while some important roads of the city also pass through them.

The authorities had identified 40 hotspots of virus transmission and sealed at least 237 points to curb movement of citizens.

The citizens are stranded in traffic because of the blockade of roads at the 237 points. Long queues of vehicles are formed at some of the points, while a few cases of altercation between police and commuters were also reported.

Many commuters have to travel a long distance to reach their destinations after bypassing the sealed areas. The routes through the affected areas were dozens of kilometres shorter for the people living in adjoining localities. Especially the residents of several areas adjoining the DHA have to travel a long distance around the sealed area to reach their homes, which otherwise were easily accessible from the city centre.

City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) have deployed nine DSPs, 36 inspectors and 206 wardens at 115 points. The traffic police stop vehicles from travelling in Gulberg, Model Town, Garden Town, Johar Town and Gulshan-e-Ravi.

The have deployed over 3,500 personnel, including 43 SHOs, for sealing the virus hotspots under the strategy of smart lockdown. Meanwhile, CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed said all markets in the city would be kept shut on Saturday and Sunday as part of the lockdown restrictions. He called for using the public address system to educate people about the pandemic and seek their cooperation in implementing the preventive measures.

He appealed to the citizens in areas under lockdown to cooperate with the police.

He said the people could protect themselves from the pandemic by adopting precautionary measures. He urged officials to deal politely with the citizens in the sealed areas while educating them about the lockdown.