Warden holds up traffic for tortoise

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government’s project of ‘One District, One Road’ for preventing accidents and crime, became beneficial for wildlife in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. While out on regular patrol on the busy Mandra-Chakwal road, a Punjab Highway Patrol along with a Rawalpindi Traffic Police Warden spotted a tortoise trying to cross the road. To prevent any accident, the traffic warden held up the traffic until the tortoise finished crossing the road. Meanwhile, a passer-by recorded the incident and posted it online. Soon the video went viral. The Punjab Highways and Patrolling Police Additional IG Captain (retired) Zafar Iqbal, on the instructions of the Punjab government, had devised a plan to prevent accidents on the highways and keep it free of crime. As part of the plan, joint teams comprising patrol officers and traffic wardens were formed to quickly respond to incidents.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2020.