Traffic police fail to remove misleading signboards

As the flow of traffic has improved with the construction of new roads, underpasses and flyovers, and widening of roads in the Federal Capital, redundant U-turn signboards have not been removed causing inconvenience and confusion to the motorists.
A senior official of the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) admitted the lapse but said the problem would be resolved shortly. He said the ITP had put up new U-turn signs, but due to the oversight such signs were not removed at some places where turning points had been blocked.
“We are taking care of the problem,” he added. The presence of old U-turn signs confuses the motorists. When they approach a U-turn they find it blocked with cement blocks while the signboard indicates presence of the same. They have to drive for some distance to approach the new U-turn.
Such lapses of the traffic police can be seen on roads in Blue Area, F-6 and F-8 sectors, Kashmir Highway (Sports Complex road) and other sectors of the city.
The residents of the Capital criticised the traffice ploice for such lapses, saying the focus of its personnel was more on issuing fine tickets to get their ‘defined share’ rather than on resolving motorists’ problems.
Another problem for motorists is the absence of ‘fish belly’ sections for turning right on the Islamabad Highway from Faizabad to Koral Chowk along the route to the airport. Such facility exists in Rawalpindi on main road near Hamza Camp and also on Peshawar Road, which has proved very beneficial for the motorists. Civil society groups have urged the ITP to provide similar facility on Islamabad Expressway.
Lawyers want to get rid of day-to-day strikes: The Punjab Bar Council on Thursday observed a token strike throughout the provincial courts to protest murder of Abdus Sattar Gill advocate in Haroonabad.
PBC Voice Chairman Malik Ghulam Abbas Nissoana condemned the incident and demanded of the Punjab government to take a serious action against the culprits to put them behind bars.
An advocate, Muhammad Amir Khalil, who has been a counsel in Osama’s widows case asked lawyers not to go on strikes without any reason. He was of the view that one should keep balance in personal and professional life.
PTI Islamabad Lawyers Wing Senior Vice President Saradar Ahmed Iqbal Makkan completely opposed the strike call and expressed his serious concerns about it. He said that such strike calls were giving a very bad impression of lawyers’ community throughout the world.
Another advocate, Muhammad Wajeehullah Khan, who is providing his legal consultancy to Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid in various cases, gave negative impression about the burgeoning strikes of his own community, while leaving the court without processing his case any longer. Maulana Abdul Aziz himself was on the spot and registered his protest against the PBC’s strike. He told APP that there was no concept of such practice in the religion of Islam. It delays justice and creates panic for all those people who come to seek justice, he said.
Seven outlaws arrested; hashish, arms seized: Islamabad Police on Thursday arrested seven outlaws from various areas of the city and recovered hashish and weapons from their possession, a police spokesman said.
On a tip off, Sub-Inspector Liaqat Ali from Kohsar police station arrested a drug pusher Mansha Masih and recovered 1.5 kilogram hashish from his possession. ASI Muhammad Iqbal from Shalimar police nabbed two persons Haleem and Saleem besides recovering looted items from their possession.
Sub Inspector Umar Amir from Golra police nabbed two persons Fiaz and Arif for selling diesel without any permit or NOC. ASI Khalid Javed recovered one 30 bore pistol each from Saif Ullah and Khalid Mehmud. Cases have been registered against these nabbed persons and further investigation is underway from them.