The City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi has finalized a comprehensive crackdown against the illegal Friday car market operating on Murree Road, following directives from Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Farhan Aslam, to ease persistent traffic congestion and ensure the uninterrupted flow of traffic.
CTP plans major crackdown on illegal Friday car market on Murree Road
RAWALPINDI, Jul 16 (APP): The City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi has finalized a comprehensive crackdown against the illegal Friday car market operating on Murree Road, following directives from Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Farhan Aslam, to ease persistent traffic congestion and ensure the uninterrupted flow of traffic.
According to the CTP, special traffic squads have been deployed and all operational arrangements completed to remove illegally parked vehicles and enforce traffic regulations without discrimination.
The illegal car market has been operating every Friday for several years, with hundreds of vehicles parked along the main carriageway, service roads, and adjoining areas for sale. The practice regularly causes severe traffic congestion on one of Rawalpindi’s busiest arteries, resulting in prolonged delays and inconvenience for commuters.
Residents noted that while the CTP had carried out enforcement operations against the market on several occasions in the past, those efforts were largely temporary, with the market reappearing the following Friday and the underlying issue remaining unresolved.
Thousands of commuters, including government and private-sector employees, students, patients, and business operators, rely on Murree Road daily. However, the weekly illegal market significantly disrupts traffic flow, delaying emergency services, including ambulances, and adversely affecting commercial activity in the area.
Citizens have urged CTO Farhan Aslam and the relevant authorities to adopt a long-term strategy through sustained enforcement, continuous monitoring, and strict implementation of traffic laws rather than one-off operations, saying such measures are essential to permanently eliminate the illegal market and restore smooth traffic movement.
The CTP reaffirmed that strict legal action would be taken against anyone found obstructing traffic, illegally parking vehicles, or violating traffic regulations. It added that all available resources would be utilized to ensure safe, orderly, and uninterrupted traffic flow on Murree Road.
