here`s total chaos on Peshawar roads with many fearing traffic congestion in the city will go downhill for poor planning and inefficiency on part of the relevant authorities.

On one hand, the number of vehicles on local roads is fast growing but on the other, the arteries are congested due to poor condition, security checks, encroachments and slowpaced work on a flyover.

The recent killing of a traffic officer by unidentified motorcyclists at Bana Manri Chowk aggravated the situation as additional policemen have been deployed for the security of the traffic officers at main intersections in the city. The killing has caused sense of insecurity among traffic police.

However, security grounds are one of the major reasons for the government`s decision to divert public transport from original routes, which has made lives of people miserable.

Several roads in the cantonment areas have been closed to the public, where cemented walls have been built to stop movement of the irrelevant people on permanent basis.

Only the vehicles with special stickers are allowed to ply the roads in the limits of the cantonment areas.

As they say, traffic system shows the level of discipline in a society but as for Peshawar, the situation is very disappointing. It is not very big city but the government has yet to take drastic steps for the improvement of traffic system here. Ironically, there is no transport minister right now.

The traffic congestion is caused by the routing of around 1,000 passenger vehicles from Khyber Road to Sher Shah Soori Road, where vehicles queue up on the major artery right from FC Plaza to Stadium Chowk on both sides, where traffic police act as spectators only.

The frequent closure of the main road outside the Governor`s House after sunset is another major issue as the entire traffic at FC Chowk is diverted to Shoba Road. Similarly, vehicles are routed to Shoba Road near Bala Hisar Fort apparently due to the possible threats to the central prison.

The slow pace of work on the Mufti Mehmood Flyover near the Peshawar High Court and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building is also a serious issue because the construction firm is stated to have violated the agreement delaying completion of constructionwithin the stipulated time.

This important project has adversely affected the smooth flow of traffic simultaneously on Court Road, GT Road, Charsadda Road, Dalazak Road and Khyber Road.

Another problem is the construction of a flyover on Ring Road near Charsadda bus stand, where traffic remains blocked for hours. However, the relevant officials are reluctant to give final date about its completion.

Background interviews with traffic police sergeants suggest the traffic cops have to do long duty and they are not paid extra allowances for it.

Also, the roads are unable to cater to the growing number of vehicles.

The cops complain the Peshawar Development Authority and Peshawar Cantonment Board officials don`t cooperate with traffic police and therefore, they have to regulate traffic and assume the duty of traffic engineering department, too.

`Earlier, the traffic was diverted from Khyber Road to Sher Shah Soori Road and now, the Governor House Road has been closed after evening to our misery,` said Khan Zaman Afridi, president of Urban Transport Union.

Similarly, he pointed out that the checkpoint on Khyber Road near the provincial assembly building was a constant headache for the people asduring peak hours, vehicles had to line up up to GT Road and thus disrupting flow of vehicles on the rest of link roads.

He also demanded removal of the checkpoint on University Road near Gora Qabristan and said all the hindrances were causing a loss of at least one hour from one side and the ultimate sufferers were the people bound for workplaces.

However, the newly-appointed SSP (traffic), Faisal Kamran, said there were many problems but po-lice could not be blamed for all of them, saying traffic engineering department was a must for easing traffic pressure on the roads but unfortunately, the department didn`t exist in Peshawar.He said work on the traffic plan was underway and a presentation in this regard had been given to IGP Nasir Khan Durrani for approval.

The SSP (traffic) suggested that the government ensure that work is carried out on the ongoing developmental projects round the clock for their completion within the shortest possible time. `On our part we have planning many things to activate the existing traffic staff but insecurity has scared them to a great extent because they have to protect them-selves and regulate the traffic system at the same time,` he said.

Mr Kamran admitted that some police sergeants working on same places for decades had to be replaced with competent and honest officers but it could not be decided all of a sudden.

He said there was a dire need for education, awareness and changes in behaviour of the people, including policemen, so that to avoid complications and that for the purpose, refresher courses and training workshops had been planned.

`We have to visit Lahore and Islamabad in order to study the traffic engineering system and bring some consultants from there to overcome problems in Peshawar. We have installed 130 closed circuit television cameras and set up a control room to check movement of the suspected people, outlaws and violators of traffic laws,` he said.

The SSP (traffic) said some digital boards would be put up on the main spots to facilitate the public in case of the roads` blockade due to processions, rallies and demonstrations.

He said the roads were closed for security reasons and that police could not take the risk to allow passenger vehicles to use sensitive routes.

Mr Kamran called for better public awareness for smooth flow of traffic.

He also complained about shortage of manpower and said more policemen would be recruited to improve the department`s efficiency.