LAHORE: Cart vendors along with locals of Nishter Town lodged a protest demonstration against the City Traffic Police for impounding dozens of donkey carts to make the main Ferozepur Road as ‘model road’, Pakistan Today has learnt on Sunday.
Chief Traffic Officer, on the complaint of cart vendors, has suspended two traffic wardens for allegedly thrashing cart owners before issuing tickets to them.
Cart vendors launched the protest outside the City District Office in Nishter Town. Protestors chanted slogans against traffic police officials and town administration. Cart vendors had also cordoned the office of town administration and few protestors also tried to enter the office as well.
Cart vendors told that they used to install carts along the main Ferozepur Road for but on Sunday two traffic wardens namely Saleem and Akhtar, who were performing their duty near Bank Stop located in Chungi Amar Siddho, started forcing cart vendors to remove their carts from the road. Traffic wardens also started issuing tickets and directed that city district government officials to impound about 37 carts in the office of Nishter Town administration.
Cart vendors claimed that traffic wardens and town administration officials were used to extort money from them and now they have started ‘thrashing’ cart vendors for no reason. They requested authorities to take stern action against the people involved in thrashing cart vendors.
Traffic wardens and town administration officials said that Ferozepur Road had been declared as the ‘model road’ after which they initially had started to educated cart vendors to keep carts on service roads than on the main road.
Saleem while talking to Pakistan Today said that cart vendors were ordered to stay on service road and they were not allowed to park or install their carts on permanent basis to sell any thing. He said they only issued ticket to cart vendors on the orders of their seniors. He said they were just performing their duties and when cart vendors launched a protest demonstration, top cops of the City Traffic Police reached the scene and ordered their suspension. He said that top cops should have protected them rather than issuing their suspension orders.
Chief Traffic Officer Capt (r) Mubeen while talking to Pakistan Today said that two traffic wardens were suspended by him after a detailed inquiry of the incident. He said that cart vendors have claimed that the two wardens have thrashed a cart vendor, which was established true during the course of inquiry.
He said that wardens were allowed to enforce rules and regulations but not to thrash anyone while doing their jobs. He said that from Qartaba Chowk to Soye Asal, Ferozepur Road has been declared as ‘model road’ after which they had started issuing tickets to slow moving traffic on the main road.
