Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has gained the reputation of an achiever. She single-mindedly devoted her energies to keeping the city of Lahore spotlessly clean. One finds male and female workers in green uniforms busy cleaning roads.
The serious problem, however, is that the roads are clean and well-maintained, but traffic is terribly messy and chaotic. Even those who had been driving for years on the city roads now want to avoid sitting behind the wheel.
Is the traffic situation incurable? No. It lacks the will and attention of the senior traffic police staff to do their job honestly. When VIPs travel led by police escorts and with arrangements of so-called ‘route laga hai’, the poor taxpayers have no choice but to wait on the road and be patient.
To reserve the route for the so-called VVIPs is unjust. Many among the waiting drivers are taxpayers, and all they feel is ‘look at these guys and how they live at our expense’.
There’s no doubt that the population of our country is skyrocketing. It requires special measures to manage the rapidly increasing vehicular traffic on the roads.
Thokar Niaz Beg presents a classic example of traffic congestion. Five main roads make a junction on this spot. Not to mention the infrequent travellers who navigate this traffic congestion; even regular travellers are flabbergasted by the bumper-to-bumper traffic. To top it, the road department adds to the public misery by ignoring the most dangerous
traffic spots.
The chief minister would surely know that traffic represents the state of administration in her province. Disciplined traffic means better administration. Eliminating VVIP movement will likely improve traffic conditions on the roads. What primarily causes traffic jams and accidents is population growth and mismanaged traffic.
The general impression among educated people is that rulers take turns to rule the country, enrich themselves, and then vanish, having ensured they have accumulated enough to live comfortably, both within and outside the country.
The Punjab government recently announced that it would implement positive changes in 51 cities across the province. Consistent with its commitment, I found the roads clean, with no encroachments, when I recently visited Dera Ghazi Khan.
This city was once considered backwards, but no longer. To remove encroachments, the government established a new department whose mobile staff keeps the encroachers on the run. Encroachers all over the province must be unhappy with the government’s policy of forcing them back to where they belonged, but the general public is appreciative of the government's policy.
Recently, a half-page advertisement appeared in this newspaper regarding population control. Two families were shown, one with five children and the other with only two.
The small family was well-dressed and smiling, whereas the one with five children appeared morose.
The good news, however, is that the government has started thinking about the importance of controlling the population. A lack of education and unplanned population growth portend a bleak future for the country.
A country that controls its population and educates its nation is quoted among the developed nations. It's people take pride in their citizenship. Educated drivers also learn to be mindful of other drivers' rights on the road. The Punjab chief minister has assumed a significant responsibility for administering the province efficiently, including traffic management. Let’s wish her well.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. He can be reached at: [email protected]
