‘NH&MP to be modeled on foreign standards’

National Highways & Motorways Police (NH&MP) Inspector General Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema said that lane discipline on the national highways was ensured up to 70 percent by the NH&MP in the last month, and fuel shortage had been overcome for restoring effective and special patrolling on these roads to enforce traffic laws.

“The NH&MP would be converted into a model organization of Asia as its standards of law-enforcement would be raised to the level of the Dubai Traffic Police,” Cheema said while addressing a news conference at Thokar Niaz Baig Central Zone Office on Sunday.

N-5 DIG Mirza Shakil Ahmad, SSP Mirza Faran Baig, SSP Munir Marth, SSP Ghulam Jaffer and SP Ather Wahed were also present at the occasion.

Cheema said the NH&MP would ensure 100 percent road lane discipline as patrolling officials had been strictly directed to enforce it without any discrimination. He said that special patrolling had been initiated on both the national highways and the motorways for checking traffic violations and for briefing patrolling officials about their duties. He said that over speeding, entry of vehicles on motorways without driving licenses and the use of cell phones during driving was being strictly monitored.

Furthermore, Cheema said that the NH&MP was going to start a driving course for bus and truck drivers at Sheikhupura NH&MP Training College within a month with an objective to reduce road accidents and to secure road safety. He said that large transport companies had shown their interest in this course which would lead to the issuance of certificates by the training institute.

The IG added that exceptionally old, unfit, modified and alerted vehicles and vehicles having weak tires and poor brakes were being disallowed on the motorways via inspection special teams.

He said vehicles committing lane violations and over-speeding would be impounded and licenses of drivers would be cancelled. He said the National Highways Authority had been approached for new sign boards and special arrangements were being made to prevent accidents near the salt range.

Furthermore, Cheema said that transporters were being contacted on the over-loading issue and that he had taken notice of the over-charging by mobile-repairing workshops on motorways and efforts had been initiated to obtain control of these workshops which were now working under the contract with the NHA.