Drive against underage, unlicenced drivers launched

LAHORE : City traffic police Lahore (CTPL) have launched a rigorous campaign against underage and unlicenced drivers.

Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Ammara Athar has announced that vehicles and motorcycles driven without a valid licence will be impounded in addition to the issuance of fines.

According to CTO, a fine of Rs2,000 will be imposed on individuals driving with learner permits or expired licences. She emphasised that commercial and public service vehicles must not be operated with standard car or motorcycle licences.

Instead, drivers of buses, wagons, and other public service transport must possess a valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence, while operators of trucks, trailers, and other heavy vehicles are required to hold a Heavy Transport Vehicle (HTV) license. She further stated that all licencing offices in the city would remain open as usual today and tomorrow, with special checkpoints established outside these offices. The crackdown aimed to ensure compliance with traffic laws, and circle officers have been directed to oversee operations in their respective areas.

Learner licence relief period extended

The government has extended the 42-day relief period on motorcycle learner licences until 15 December. This decision was made in response to public demand and increasing crowd pressure at licencing centres.

Additional Inspector General (AIG) Traffic, Mirza Farhan Baig, on Saturday announced that citizens can continue to benefit from this extension.

According to the traffic authorities, over two million citizens have already availed themselves of this initiative in the past two months. Licencing centres have been made operational 24/7 to ease congestion and prevent long queues.

From 16 December, the 42-day validity rule will be reinstated. Previously, AIG Traffic Mirza Farhan Baig had introduced this extension, benefiting approximately 1.96 million citizens.