Police Commissioner’s crackdown on road encroachments

Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma’s endeavors to clear the city’s roads and sidewalks of encroachments, aiming to alleviate traffic congestion, have instilled hope among residents. Every day, people were finding themselves in sticky situations due to this issue.
The city police’s tireless efforts have received acknowledgment, resulting in 80% of the city’s pathways being free from obstructions. Belongings previously placed on roads have now been relocated to shops or assigned areas. Yet, some individuals haven’t complied, prompting ACP Mangal Tuesday’s presence in the field. Belongings of those failing to comply have been seized, and thorough details will facilitate the issuance of notices to them.

ACP Chahal said that for those who, even after receiving notices, have not removed encroachments, the process of filing FIRs against them will continue. Following the strictness of the police, encroachments were removed from points that had been persistently problematic. Roads have been cleared from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk to Hoshiarpur Adda and Mai Heeran Gate. While shopkeepers have not removed encroachments from Shriram Chowk to Jail Chowk, most of the roads are clear, and the sidewalks are visible for people to walk. Around Shastri Market Chowk and the road leading to Kamal Palace, more tire vendors’ tires were inside, while some were still on the roads. Some shopkeepers were found repairing vehicles on the roads.

Chahal mentioned that notices will now also be issued to those roads declared as no-tolerance zones, where either RSS teams were deployed or patrols were noticed. At points declared as one-way zones, each police officer has been deployed. It is clear that the Police Commissioner is now focused on making the city traffic-free at all costs. After a review of four weeks, selected points are receiving duties according to the planned police deployment, resulting in reduced traffic jams, improper parking, and unauthorized encroachments.