LAHORE: The drivers in Lahore will have to face a severe penalty as the city traffic police have decided to cancel their licenses on repeated violations, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sources in the traffic police informed that the decision was made after failing to control the people from violation of traffic rules. They said that the city traffic police in the past had launched several campaigns to sensitise the drivers with traffic rules, but all in vain.
“People in Lahore seem to be committed to violating traffic rules. The city traffic police with the help of the safe city authority, have identified several drivers who have been found habitual of violating the rules,” they said.
Sources said that the city traffic police was all set to provide the data of all the license holders to the safe city authority which has already started issuing e-tickets. They said that after the announcement of the system, the driver on his or her fifth violation would have to face the cancellation of their driving license for one year.
“Once the license was cancelled, the violator will have to wait for a year after which he or she would be eligible to apply for a new one,” they said and added that initially, the system would be applicable on those who have received e-tickets. Later, other drivers would also be included.
Speaking to Pakistan Today, the spokesperson of the Punjab Safe City Authority (PSCA) Hafiz Tayyab said that besides monitoring the security situation of the city, the PSCA was also awarded the responsibility to keep an eye on those who violate traffic rules.
He said that the PSCA had asked the traffic police to provide the data of all license holders and once the cameras were installed, the drivers would be monitored on a regular basis. However, he said that the authority had started issuing e-tickets to the owners of the vehicles in collaboration with the excise department.
“The system has been designed in a way that nobody would be able to sell his or her vehicle without paying the due fine,” Tayyab said.
An official in the city traffic police said that the traffic wardens would maintain the records of every challan and the traffic police have decided to establish a database through which it would be easy to identify the number of violations by a driver.