LAHORE: The City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) has switched its four-digit telephone helpline number to the Police Emergency Helpline 15 to make its services more convenient for commuters.

Earlier, a four-digit number 1915 was being used for traffic police`s helpline for the commuters to get information about any route and to report traffic jams on roads.

Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rai Ijaz Ahmad said the traffic police helpline was merged with the Police Emergency Helpline 15 under the Punjab Safe City Authority (PSCA) project.

He said under the PSCA traffic police, the police crime control and Rescue 1122 were merged at a single helpline number 15. Different dispatch call centres had been established in the PSCA building at Qurban Lines, he said and added that different call desks to report any emergency had also been set up.

Mr Ahmad said they were not closing the previous helpline 1915 and were planning to educate the public for four to five months but now traffic problems could be reported on 15.

He said the commuters could get any type of help including city trafnc plans, licence related issues,challans submission, maintenance of vehicles and traffic jams at 15 while suggestions to improve traffic and complaints against wardens` misbehavior could also be made at the same number.

FIREFIGHTERS DAY: The International Firefighters` Day was commemorated at the Punjab Emergency Services (Rescue 1122) Headquarters on Thursday to remember the firemen who lost their lives while rescuing people.

Punjab Emergency Services Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer directed the rescuers to arrange awareness walks and seminars to commemorate the day.

The DG said steps should be taken to prevent increasing fire incidents and all departments should have to come forward for establishment of safer communities in Pakistan.

He said the firefighters had dedicated their lives to the protection of life and property and the International Firefighters` Day was being observed to honour the sacrifices that the firefighters made to ensure the safety of their communities.

Dr Naseer said owing to efforts of Rescue 1122 and National Disaster Management Authority, National Fire Safety Codes had been launched by the president on Feb 27 and implementation of the codes could ensure safer Punjab.