In a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at strengthening law and order and improving traffic management, the UT Administration has decided to establish permanent designated parking spaces and base stations for police personnel and patrol vehicles near major intersections and traffic signals across the city.
The project, being executed by the Engineering Department, is expected to be completed within the next two months, at an estimated cost of Rs 30 lakh.
At present, Chandigarh does not have designated parking spaces for police vehicles at strategic locations. As a result, police personnel often park PCR vehicles and patrol units along roadsides or on unpaved surfaces, creating operational and maintenance challenges. The new initiative seeks to provide dedicated bases for police deployment at critical traffic junctions and high-activity areas.
According to officials, the project was designed keeping in mind the heavy-duty nature of Chandigarh Police vehicles, particularly PCR vans and patrol SUVs.
Repeated parking and movement of the vehicles at the same locations often damages road shoulders. To address the issue, the Engineering Department will construct specially designed parking spaces capable of withstanding the weight of heavy vehicles.
Officials believe the dedicated parking stations will significantly improve the city’s emergency response mechanism. By positioning police vehicles at major intersections and strategic locations, response times to accidents, traffic violations, public safety incidents and criminal activities are expected to reduce considerably.
Police personnel stationed at the locations will be able to move directly from the designated base stations to emergency sites without delays associated with vehicle deployment from distant locations.
However, the initiative also faces challenges related to enforcement and compliance.
A similar effort undertaken recently by the administration involved the creation of designated pickup and drop-off points for autorickshaws near slip roads along Madhya Marg and other major roads. However, many of these facilities remain underutilised as autorickshaw drivers continue to pick up and drop passengers near main carriageways and CTU bus queue shelters in violation of regulations.
Officials stated that the success of such projects depended on effective enforcement and adherence to rules.
