Sugarcane, straw: PHP asked to prohibit entry of overloaded vehicles

LAHORE: In order to prevent fatal accidents in the wake of fog and smog, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan has directed the Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) to prohibit entry of tractors/trolleys overloaded with sugarcane or straw on highways.

The IG police also directed the PHP and the City Traffic Police (CTP) to launch a special campaign in all districts of the province against overloading and over-speeding vehicles in current fog and smog season. He further directed that a strict action should be initiated against tractors/trolleys and other vehicles found overloaded in areas of sugarcane crushing.

In a circular issued on Monday to all the RPOs, DPOs and district traffic officers, Rao Sardar said that drivers of buses and tractors/trolleys who endanger lives of citizens by overloading and over-speeding on highways would be dealt iron handed.

He said that both the PHP and CTP should play an active role in prevention of accidents and provide all possible protection to lives and properties of the passengers.

He further instructed that reflector stickers should be affixed on slow moving vehicles, including tractors, trolleys, donkey carts and others, on highways.

He said that tractor should not be allowed to park in queues outside sugar mills and trolleys should be parked inside factories so that the flow of traffic outside and around these factories would not be affected at all.

He added that awareness campaigns on safe driving should be intensified for the convenience of citizens during fog season and all the districts should send details of police operations against overloading and over-speeding to the central police office (CPO) on regular basis.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021