RAWALPINDI: Commissioner Azmat Mehmood on Thursday asked the police to check street crimes by improving policing and increasing the number of its personnel.

He issued the direction while reviewing the law and order situation, trafñc issues and encroachments in the district at a meeting.

MNA Malik Abrar, MPAs Raja Hanif Advocate, Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal and Malik Iftikhar, RPO Wisal Sultan Raja, DCO Talat Mehmood Gondal, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood, RDA Director Engineering Akram Soban and other senior ofñcials attended the meeting.

Taking notice of purse-snatching cases and other street crimes, the commissioner asked the police to improve the policing for the security of the citizens.

He said patrolling should be increased to end mugging and other street crimes in the district, especially in the garrison city.

RPO Sultan Raja informed the meeting that the inspector general ofpolice had abolished the posts of 1,000 policemen.

However, he said, `the Dolfen police force will soon start its work in Rawalpindi to control street crime.

The commissioner assured the police that he would write to the home department to increase the police force in the district.

About the traffic congestions, the commissioner asked the RDA and the traffic police to prepare a plan to resolve the matter.

The commissioner also asked the town municipal administrations to remove encroachments for the smooth flow of traf fic.

Development review The meeting reviewed development works worth Rs500 million launched in each constituency of the National Assembly in the district.

Taking notice of the damages to different portions of the Adiala Road and Lahore High Court Road constructed a few months ago, the commissioner sought a report from the engineering department of the RDA.

MPA Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal saidthe RDA constructed the roads a few months ago but the roads caved in at dif ferent places exposing the quality of materials.

The commissioner also directed the superintending engineer of the Punjab Highway Department to conduct a third-party inspection of the roads and submit him a report as soon as possible.

He rejected a plan of the RDA to connect Double Road with 9th Avenue.

He said the RDA should prepare another plan so that the traffic rush could be reduced at Double Road and I.J. Principal Road.

The commissioner also took notice of the non-functional tubewells recently installed by Wasa and directed the agency to make them functional.

H owever, Wasa of ficials inf orme d the commissioner that Iesco did not provide electricity to the 33 tubewells to make them functional.

The commissioner contacted the Iesco chief executive officer and requested him to provide electricity to the tubewells so that the citizens could be supplied water without any interruption.