LAHORE:
Vehicles of traffic rule violators receiving challans for repeated traffic violations in Punjab will be auctioned, while government vehicles involved in rule violation will also face heavy punishment, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was informed in a meeting on Friday.
The officials informed the chief minister that 20 major amendments have been introduced in the six-decade-old Punjab Traffic Code.
The government approved a 30-day grace period to eliminate one-way violations and ordered relevant authorities to revamp U-turns to improve road safety. It was also agreed that families of road accident victims would be immediately compensated.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif stressed that marriage halls will not be allowed to operate without proper parking.
Participants approved a province-wide crackdown on underage drivers.
Learn more: Punjab implements stricter traffic order
Authorities said that if a minor drives the vehicle, the vehicle owner faces up to six months in prison.
The chief minister ordered a crackdown on buses carrying passengers on rooftops. The officials concerned informed her that in order to improve traffic flow and ensure public safety, a ban on autorickshaws will be implemented on five model roads in Lahore.
The chief minister set a deadline of 30 days to streamline traffic in Lahore. She said vehicles traveling at dangerous speeds will face tough action.
Traffic in all cities of the province needs to be improved, Maryam said, adding that any violator would be fined without any discrimination.
She gave the traffic police one last chance to improve the situation. “If they fail, a new department will be created,” she said, lamenting that when everything else had been taken care of, the reason traffic was still in a state of disarray.
She noted that the continued violations and disorder on the roads reflect the weakness of state powers.
