interaction between public and traffic sergeants.
“We are striving to make an automatic system to impose fines after taking pictures of law violators,” he said. “We have sent 116 tickets to violators at their homes and surprisingly 80 percent of them were paid, which has encouraged us to introduce the system on a larger scale.”
The DIG said Pakistani people followed all the rules and regulations in countries where technology had allowed the authorities to apprehend the culprits at once. He said the Pakistani society also needed the latest technology to enforce traffic laws.
Answering a query about VIP movements, he said there was a dire need for both the citizens and VIPs to follow the rules.
“I know VIP movement creates a lot of troubles for the public, but sometimes security issues compel us to arrange special arrangements for high-profile personalities,” he said. “It is an evolutionary process to minimise the VIP culture, but the authorities need to take remarkable steps to resolve the issue.”
Shaikh quoted an incident in which a sergeant was suspended after he dared to stop the vehicle of an MNA’s daughter while her driver was trying to jump the red light.
The DIG said he intervened in the matter and took up the matter with the authorities to get the sergeant reinstated in order to give a message that the department would not compromise on performing duties and no illegal order would be accepted anymore.
He however admitted that it was a complicated process for him as it was a difficult task to fight against corrupt authorities in the system.
He lauded the organiser, Tahira Tariq, and her department for arranging the event to mark Global Safety Road Day, and informed the audience that the Karachi Traffic Police was also celebrating the day in cooperation with a multinational company in the metropolis.
He also appreciated the presentation and the video made by Greenwich students to convey their concerns about traffic violations.