Traffic plan devised for Pak-Eng cricket match

The Rawalpindi City Traffic Police (CTP) has devised a special plan for maintaining smooth traffic flow on the city roads during the Pakistan-England Test cricket match scheduled to begin at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Some 370 traffic police personnel, including eight DSPs/Circle in-charges, 40 inspectors/sector in-charges and 318 wardens would be on roads to maintain traffic flow during the five-day match, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Beenish Fatima said in a statement on Tuesday.

The CTO said additional personnel would be deployed to keep the traffic flowing on alternate routes during the movement of cricket teams. The Murree Road, she said, would be completely closed from Faizabad to Double Road at the time of arrival and departure of the cricket teams from the stadium. During the time, the traffic coming from Islamabad to Rawalpindi would be diverted from Faizabad to Expressway, while the traffic from Rawalpindi would be able to enter Islamabad via Saidpur Road using 6th Road.

Similarly, the traffic from Ghousia Chowk would be diverted to the Kurry Road via Farooq Azam Road. She said during the match, the Stadium Road, from 9th Avenue Chowk to Double Road Turn, would remain fully closed for traffic.

The traffic coming from Islamabad via 9th Avenue would be able to enter Rawalpindi through Expressway via Faizabad, and IJP Road from Pindora Chungi, Katarian, Carriage Factory and Pirwadhai Mor Chowk, while those going to 9th Avenue from Murree Road via Double Road would enter Islamabad from Faizabad.

The CTO said five spaces had been specified for parking of vehicles, from where the shuttle service arranged by the district administration would carry spectators to the stadium. She said the CTP would display banners at different places for the awareness of people about alternate routes during the cricket match.

The public could also get guidance in that regard from the CTP's social media pages and FM radio station, she added. Beenish urged the citizens to cooperate with the traffic police for smooth flow of traffic on city roads during the cricket match.

Cops deployed

Rawalpindi police have deployed 3,200 policemen and 370 traffic policemen on the security duty for the Pakistan-England Test cricket match scheduled to start on October 24.

"The route of the cricket teams is being monitored by CCTV cameras while snipers have been deployed on the rooftops to provide them full security," said a spokesman, adding that special teams of Elite Force, Dolphin Force and District Police were deployed inside and outside the stadium and surrounding areas. City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani on Monday visited the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to personally monitor security arrangements.