Authorities focus on traffic management in Abbottabad

ABBOTTABAD: Traffic management of the city is likely to improve as young officers posted as deputy commissioner and district police officer (DPO) are considering traffic issue as top priority besides other matters.
Newly posted District Police Officer (DPO) Sher Akbar told The Newsthat his top priority was traffic management in Abbottabad. Deputy Commissioner Khalid Mehmood has started efforts to get funds for widening of main road.
DPO Sher Akbar said that during summers and Eid holidays, influx of tourists who rush to various tourist resorts, causes frequent traffic jams and inconvenience.He said the city had no bypass road and they had been planning to stop entry of trucks to the city during peak hours. Known as a city of schools, Abbottabad faces worst traffic congestion when schools start at morning or their closing times.
To a query, he said that though there was no security issue at present, joint search operation by various law enforcing agencies would be conducted against outlaws.He said the police had been giving special attention to security of educational institutions after the Peshawar incident. He said that 308 security guards of different educational institutions had been provided training of weapon handling.
The official said the SOS call service had been provided to all the schools of the city to meet any sort of emergency.Earlier, the deputy commissioner told journalists that due to continuous efforts of the district administration, the National Highway Authority (NHA) had allocated sufficient fund for road infrastructure from Abbottabad to Havelian.
He said a tender worth about Rs29 million had been floated for dual road, which would be completed before April 15 on SOS basis. Similarly, he said Rs984 million had been approved for the dualisation of Murree Road.
The deputy commissioner said funds had been allocated in Annual Development Programme for Eastern Bypass, work on which would be started in due course.He said that he was trying his best for getting some funds for Eastern Bypass, which would decrease burden in city roads. To another a question, Khalid Mehmood said solid waste management system would be implemented shortly as the provincial government had signed a memorandum of understanding with a Lahore-based company.
Abbottabad, being a tourist resort, faces traffic congestion, inadequate traffic management, high accident rate and increasing air pollution problems. It is the divisional headquarters as well and needs a bypass to solve the traffic congestion problems.