Karachi traffic police understaffed, says DIG

Personnel face daunting task to manage rising number of vehicles

KARACHI:

Due to severe shortage of personnel, the traffic control system is likely to collapse in the city, said the chief on traffic police in Karachi on Thursday.

Traffic DIG Ahmed Nawaz said that n order to meet the shortage of personnel, the traffic police personnel deployed in the suburbs of the city have been called and deployed on duties in the red zone, facilitating VVIP movement and traffic control on the main thoroughfares of the city.

He said that due to Covid-19, recruitment and training in traffic police has been suspended for the last two years, which has resulted in shortfall of personnel in the traffic police. The approved strength of traffic police is 10,000 while at present the strength of traffic police is around 6,000.

In Karachi, the country's economic and commercial hub and the largest city, where the population is increasing day by day, the number of vehicles registered in the city is also increasing. As a result, the problems of traffic police are becoming serious. Meanwhile, the traffic police are also facing difficulties in overcoming the problems. The traffic police are facing a severe shortage of personnel these days due to which there is an apprehension of a complete collapse of the city's traffic system.

In order to meet the shortage, traffic police personnel deputed in the suburbs of the city including Steel Town, Malir, Surjani Town, Manghopir and other areas, are being deployed in the city's red zone, VVIP movement, government property, commercial centers and major roads.

In this regard, DIG Traffic Ahmed Nawaz told The Express Tribune that the total sanctioned strength of the traffic police is 10,000 and at present 6,000 traffic police personnel are deployed in the traffic police which is 60% of the total number and the traffic police are currently 40 percent understaffed. The number of vehicles in the city is increasing day by day and the city's infrastructure is changing.

The DIG traffic said that several mega projects are underway in the city including BRT, People's Bus Service and Red Line project. Traffic congestion on other roads in the city is increasing as work on development projects continues. He said that the recruitment and training process in the traffic police has been suspended for the last two years due to Covid-19 which has created a shortfall in the traffic police personnel.

DIG Ahmad Nawaz said that in the year 2016, 3,000 personnel recruited from different districts of Sindh including Hyderabad, Thatta, Mirpur Khas, Khairpur, Nawabshah and other districts were included in the traffic police on the condition that will serve in Karachi Traffic Police for at least five years.

The personnel who joined the traffic police in 2016 have completed their five years, after which they have started shifting back to their respective districts upon completion of the stipulated time. He said that last month, 300 traffic police personnel were repatriated to their districts and in the last few days, 200 more personnel have been transferred to other departments. In the coming days, more personnel will be transferred in interior Sindh or any other department.

The DIG Traffic said that an advertisement has been published for fresh recruitment on the instructions of the higher authorities to cater to the traffic police needs but the process of new recruitment may take another three to four months to complete. Whereas the newly recruited personnel will complete their training in nine months and it will take them at least one and a half to two years to join the traffic police.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2022.