Punjab introduces major traffic reforms after 60 years 

Punjab has introduced major traffic reforms for the first time in 60 years to ensure road safety, ARY News reported on Friday

A meeting presided over by the Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore approved 20 amendments to the decades-old Traffic Act to make travel safer and more convenient.

Under the new traffic reforms, vehicles with repeated traffic violations will be auctioned. Government vehicles will also face heavy penalties for breaking traffic laws.

A 30-day grace period has been granted to curb wrong-way driving, while U-turns will be redesigned to improve organization and enhance road safety. It has also been agreed that compensation (diyat) will be provided promptly to the families of those who lose their lives in accidents.

Marriage halls without designated parking areas will not be granted construction approval. A strict crackdown has been ordered to stop underage driving, and vehicle owners may face imprisonment of up to six months if minors are found driving their cars.

Traveling on the roofs of buses has been banned across Punjab, with immediate enforcement. In Lahore, Qingqi rickshaws have been completely banned from five model roads.

The Punjab chief minister has given a 30-day deadline to improve traffic conditions in Lahore.

“I am giving the traffic police one last chance. If they fail, we will have to form a new department,” Maryam Nawaz warned. She added that violations of traffic laws and disorder on the roads reflect a weakening of state authority.