Islamabad’s stranded law-enforcers

ISLAMABAD: Lack of transport facilities for the capital territory police officials is turning out to be a huge burden on the pockets of Islamabad’s law enforcers. Policemen are often seen being dropped off to their designated places of duties, but are then left to their own devices.

The problem is more severe for officers working in the night shift, when the scheduled police transport stops plying on the roads and any chances of finding their way back through an official transport is lost. Furthermore, other vans and buses are also not operational at night. The officers end up having to give high fares for taxis.

An official of ICT, speaking on the issue, said, “Police transport only moves around at prescribed times before nightfall. This is a huge inconvenience and we have had several meetings with the Transport Association to address the matter, but nothing has come forward.”

Mohammad Liaqat, head constable has been serving the police for the past 24 years and said that the situation within the organisation has not improved throughout his time. Terming it as ‘complicated’, he said, “We have to work for eight to 12 hours, but there is no mechanism in place to provide us with a ‘drop’ facility after the shift is over.”

Another official, Munir Shah, voiced similar concerns. “There was a time when we got pick and drop a few times, but that never became a routine practice. There is also no allowance granted to us for transportation cost,” he said.

He added, “I spend around Rs150 daily on a taxi and that is more than half of my salary, but I am helpless just like many others.”

Nadeem Nasir, a journalist, said, “Police officials asking for a ride is a common sight, but I never give them a ride fearing that it could be a criminal or a terrorist.”

Taking a macro approach towards the issue, CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said that transport on the whole was a major issue in the twin cities. “Most of the working class dwells in Rawalpindi and commutes to Islamabad for work. To address the lack of proper transport arrangements, CDA has chalked out a proposal for a mass transit system,” he said.

Munir Shah also offered a solution for the stranded officials. “Every police station has 14 check posts being operated and more than a thousand officials are deputed on the road of the capital. Police can divide the force into three and then these shifts can be dropped off accordingly in three turns. That should be manageable,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2010.