TEHRAN – Some 5,000 traffic police forces are fully ready to ensure safety by monitoring road regulations within the framework of “Arbaeen special traffic scheme”, traffic police chief Taqi Mehri has said.

The special traffic scheme has gone into effect since October 11 and will last until November 5 across the country, specially near the borders of Shalamcheh, Mehran and Chazabeh, Mehri stated, Mehr reported on Saturday.

He went on to say that since past few days, police forces stood guard at the highways and roads, police and relief forces are on duty to assure safety and offer health services to the pilgrims.

1,400 teams of traffic polices comprising 5,000 forces are fully enforcing road safety regulations, mostly in Khuzestan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Lorestan and Hamedan provinces, as the pilgrims mainly cross these provinces to reach the three aforesaid borders, he further explained.

“Some forces of the traffic police volunteered to serve the pilgrims on Arbaeen trek,” he concluded.

Arbaeen pilgrimage, also known as Arbaeen trek, is a rituals participated by hundreds of thousands of Shia and Sunni Muslims as well as Christians and Zoroastrians, etc. who walk from various cities to the holy shrine of Imam Hossein (AS) in Karbala every year to mark the end of the 40-day mourning period of Imam Hossein (AS).

According to Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization more than 1.3 million Iranians have applied for visa to attend Arbaeen pilgrimage 2018.

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