'Test shows less percentage of hepatitis in traffic police than district cops'

'A recent test shows less percentage of hepatitis in traffic police than the district police' Muhammad Aslam Sector Welfare informs this scribe here on Wednesday. Recently a hepatitis test was organised in the Garden Police Head Quarters, in which almost 3,400 traffic personnel and 3,600 district police personnel have been tested.
Amazingly 13 percent of district police personnel found affected where as only 3.4 percent personnel of traffic police found affected. It was their white uniform which saves them from the ultra violet rays of sun as white colour reflects light instead of the district police's black uniform which absorbs light.
Few days back Business Recorder had published the complaint of a constable that his department instead of reimbursing his medical amounts, cut his one and a half month's salary, as he instead of Sindh Police Hospital goes somewhere else for treatment.
The process of the department is that a personnel has to inform his immediate officer that he needs some medical help or even contact directly to the welfare department, lately he would be allowed to go on leave, but if he without informing the department left his office for certain period, he would be considered absentee and would face consequences of salary deduction, Muhammad Aslam informed.
He said the most number of cases of sergeants are of traffic accidents as they become victim of reckless driving or run away criminals. But today even a constable can be facilitated directly on his service card at PNS Shifa and NICVD. The Sindh Police Hospital would soon be inaugurated till May which likely to be a fully functional hospital. After that personnel may not have any complain. Whatever complains they have today are basically previous cases as previously we neither have a welfare department nor does any medical facility, but today we have, Aslam ssaid.
The previous cases can take some time to reimburse as they are hundreds in number, if asked to a sergeant he would say no sir from 2008 I had submitted my case but today is 2011 and nothing yet happened. From his point of view it might seem true but we are doing at our level best as we lack computerised facility and have less manpower as well but this is not an excuse. We have to do and we are doing that is what I can say, Muhammad Aslam further said.
The most number of cases registered are of traffic accident and large part consists of motor bikers, first they drive recklessly, second without helmets as well, if a sergeant tries to stop them or issues a challan they simply bicker with the sergeant and tries to bribe him. Firstly, the challan amount is very minimal, so a person calculates how much petrol would he utilised in going for submitting challan, then for collecting paper from the traffic department, altogether more than the challan so why not bribe the sergeant and throw away the burden of all this trouble, on the other hand a sergeant who is commencing eight hour duty without any compensation then why not take it, Muhammad Aslam maintained.
Taking bribe is not justified by any mean nor did the sergeant who does so is excusable, but what are the reason behind such mentality be removed, he said. District police have a separate VVIP force but traffic police has no such wings, whatever movement is going on in the city like rally, processions, gatherings even VIP movement every thing is to be controlled by traffic police. It is officially an eight hour duty but when would it be turned to a 12 or even 24 hour duty no one knows. Suddenly an order comes that a rally is passing through there and maintain there traffic flow, make way for the rally and be at the spot till the end of the specific movement, and no overtime for any extra duty, Muhammad Aslam maintained.
Few months before I was posted to Islamabad and I was getting double of what even I'm getting here today. They have a separate wing for controlling VIP movements or any other activity then controlling the flow of traffic, they have more number of cars than here today to control the traffic and they have surveillance cameras installed every here and there. Once I went to a general's residence for giving him a ticket, so people there are afraid of traffic police and follow rules and regulations as well, Tayyabullah ASI Sector Welfare said.