Martyrs Day: Mall road, others to be closed

Traffic police provide alternate route guide for Wednesday.

RAWALPINDI: Citizens have been urged to use alternate routes instead of Mall Road as the road will be closed for all vehicular traffic on Wednesday evening from Shalimar Chowk to T and T Chowk.

Youm-e-Shuhada (Martyrs Day), which falls on Wednesday, will be observed in recognition of those soldiers who laid down their lives for Pakistan.

According to Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Shoaib Khurram Janbaz, Rawalpindi chief traffic officer (CTO), several other roads of Rawalpindi cantonment area including T and T Chowk to Chungi No 22, Chungi No 22 to Tameezuddin Road (Officers Family Ward, Indus Road, PC Hotel Turn to CSD, Tufail Road and GHQ Gate No 3 to Chungi No 22, Iftikhar Janjua Road (EME Mess Chowk to GHQ), NUST Chowk and Convent School Chowk will also remain closed for all traffic. The CTO said more traffic wardens will be deployed to regulate traffic on roads which will be available for use.

He said special instructions have been issued for checking of suspicious persons, tinted windows, improper number plates and cars missing number plates.

Ambulances, fire engines and other vehicles with green number plates would also be checked properly, he said.

The city police officer said motorists can use Marrir Hassan, Marrir Chowk, Saddar, Bank Road, Haider Road, Mahfooz Road, MH Chowk and Peshawar Road while traffic will also be allowed through GPO, T and T Chowk, Mall Road and Kashmir Road.

Railway Road, Kamran Market, Adhara Road, Sher Khan Road, Abid Majeed Road, Qasim Market and Peshawar Road will also be opened for the normal traffic flow while no traffic will be allowed on Metropol and Romi Park through Transit Camp. Lal Kurti Bazaar and Tufail Road can be used by the motorists, he said. He informed that a traffic plan has been formulated for the day, but cooperation of the citizens is necessary to avoid traffic jams. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2014.