• Traffic cops get 30pc of total amount of fine as reward, rest goes to provincial govt
• Action seen as tantamount to ‘slaughtering the milch cow’ of the country
• DIG says traffic police have not been provided reward since many years
• Claims traffic fines significantly reduced after incumbent IGP Memon took over

KARACHI: The traffic police have extracted a whopping Rs1.2 billion from the people of Karachi in the head of fines over different traffic violations during the past one year, it has emerged.

Official data suggested that from July 1, 2023 to the end of July in 2024 over two million Karachiites had been issued tickets and the total amount of fine stood at Rs1,294,886,450 — which is around Rs3.5 million per day.

Of the total Rs1.2bn fine amount, the citizens have paid Rs1.19bn, while 114,142 violators of traffic rules are yet to pay over Rs100m in fines.

This year alone ie from January to July, the traffic police have issued 992,576 challans which amount to Rs699,813,650 (over Rs699m).

While incumbent Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, who was in office till August 2023 and was posted as IGP again in March 2024, had time and again made it clear that the traffic police were not a revenue-generating agency, the huge number of fines and challan amount seems to suggest that traffic police officials are least bothered about following their own IGP’s advice.

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Official sources said that the traffic police were entitled to have 30 per cent of the challan’s total amount and the remaining 70pc went to the provincial government. This means the traffic cops could get Rs360m share from the Rs1.2bn amount.

However, DIG-Traffic Ahmed Nawaz Cheema said that the traffic police had not been paid their “due amount” for the past four to five years.

“Of the 30pc amount, 15pc is for [cash] rewards for traffic police officers, while the remaining amount is for the procurement of equipment,” he said.

He said that it was a clear policy of the IGP-Sindh and Karachi police chief Javed Odho that the traffic police should mainly issue challans for moving traffic violations like wrong-way, one-way driving, violation of traffic lights, vehicles without number plates, etc.

He claimed that after the IGP’s direction the rate of traffic challan had dropped to one-thirds of what it was before his fresh stint.

District-wise details

District East tops the chart with the fine amounting to Rs240,260,100 (over Rs240m) against 357,374 tickets followed by District West with fine worth Rs224,790,700 (over Rs224m) against 309,170 tickets and District Malir Rs207,635,350 (over Rs207m) against 317,310 tickets.

Fines worth Rs189,882,600 (over 189m) were issued in District South against 315,351 tickets; Rs164,565,800 (over Rs164m) in District City against 268,514 tickets; Rs145,544,050 (over Rs145m) in District Central against 238,365 tickets, and Rs122,207,850 (over Rs122m) in District Korangi against 201,604 tickets.

District Malir has the most number of pending challan worth Rs20,609,600 (over Rs20.6m) against 23,933 tickets, followed by District West with Rs20,300,900 (over Rs20.3m) against 18,091 tickets and District East with Rs18,783,550 (over Rs18.7m) against 20,324 tickets.

Meanwhile, District South has pending challan worth Rs12,683,900 (over Rs12.6m) against 15,190 tickets; District Central Rs11,502,350 (over Rs11.5m) against 14,216 tickets; District City Rs11,214,200 (over Rs11.2m) against 13,858 tickets and District Korangi Rs7,912,000 (over Rs7.9m) against 8,530 tickets.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan senior leader Farooq Sattar said that the city which paid taxes of Rs300-400 billion to the province only was being taken to the point where it won’t survive.

Responding to a question, he said that “Karachi is the cow which gives milk but is still being slaughtered”.

He added that such things will lead to an increase in suicides and crimes.

He also mentioned that if such huge fines were being taken, then at least some sort of relaxation must also be provided to citizens.

Former Citizen-Police Liaison Committee Chief Jameel Yousuf also had something similar to say.

He said that he understood that fines were being imposed due to violations, but at least that money must be utilised for the betterment of the overall situation of the city traffic.

“Some signage must be installed on roads that tells people about violations. Not everyone knows about many violations. So, they [traffic police] fine citizens the way they want.”

He also said that in early 90s it was proposed that honourable people of society from different walks of life must be given honorary magistrate titles and they should be allowed to hear the cases of traffic violations after scourt hours in the courts where citizens can challenge their challans. But, this wasn’t implemented even after some 30-40 people were notified because those who were given the title of magistrate sought cars and other benefits from the government.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024