LAHORE: The Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore, Dr. Ather Waheed, has submitted a proposal to Inspector General (IG) Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, seeking structural reforms in the City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) to address increasing traffic management challenges, Pakistan Today learnt here on Thursday.
The information outlines the increasing challenges of traffic control in Lahore and presents a plan to improve supervision through additional posts at different levels. However, IG Punjab has forwarded the proposal to the Home Department for the Chief Minister’s approval.
As per the document, Lahore’s Traffic Warden System, introduced in 2006, was designed to modernize traffic regulation in the city. However, the city’s daily traffic volume has now reached 8.4 million vehicles, making it difficult for the existing structure to operate efficiently.
The proposal highlights a shortage of supervisory officers, which limits the department’s ability to ensure proper enforcement of traffic regulations. Currently, CTPL has 2 sanctioned posts of Senior Superintendents of Police (SPs) (BS-18), 14 sanctioned posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) (BS-17) and 3,414 field officials working under limited supervision.
According to the proposal, the current structure results in an inadequate chain of command, making it difficult to monitor and control traffic operations effectively.
To improve the efficiency of traffic management, CTO Lahore has proposed the upgradation of Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Post. As per proposal, the CTO Lahore position (BS-19) should be upgraded to BS-20. As all other wings of Capital City Police Lahore are headed by BS-20 officers (DIG rank), making this upgrade necessary for administrative alignment.
The proposal also suggests the increase in supervisory officers. SPs (BS-18) to increase from 2 to 6, ensuring each police division has a dedicated officer. DSPs (BS-17) to increase from 14 to 28, strengthening field supervision.
The proposed restructuring requires an annual budget of PKR 71.7 million. This includes funding for the upgraded CTO position, five additional SPs, and 14 additional DSPs.
Well maintained sources in CTPL informed this scribe that the current ratio of traffic officials to vehicles is approximately 1:1,500, whereas the recommended ratio is 1:500. This disparity underscores the need for additional supervisory officers to manage the increasing traffic load effectively.Â
Furthermore, the CTPL has identified 58 chronic traffic congestion points and over 800 encroachment spots on major roads. Addressing these issues requires enhanced field supervision, which the proposed restructuring aims to achieve.
The additional supervisory officers would enhance traffic monitoring, improve enforcement of road regulations, and address congestion issues more effectively. The reforms aim to strengthen field-level decision-making, ensuring better coordination between officers and ground staff.
After reviewing the proposal, IG Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, has forwarded it to the Home Department for further processing. The final approval now rests with the Chief Minister of Punjab.
The decision on this proposal will determine whether Lahore’s traffic management system receives the administrative support it needs to handle increasing urban mobility challenges.
