In what could be termed as a major development in the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate, as many as 28 police stations and 34 police posts, which have been choked with the dumping of unclaimed impounded vehicles inside and outside police buildings, have finally started getting breathing space. The police have already started shifting these vehicles to a newly built yard allotted by the government to the police at Bagga Kalan village outside the city limits.
A land was reportedly given by the Municipal Corporation to the Ludhiana police after AAP leader Sanjeev Arora had promised that police stations’ space would be cleared and impounded vehicles would be shifted to a separate yard. About 1.52 acres of land was recently allotted by the corporation.
As per details accessed by The Tribune correspondent, the police stations and posts have 7,500 unclaimed seized vehicles. Interestingly, there is a sizeable number of vehicles which had been lying at police stations for over a decade. In fact, these have already turned into scrap and their parts are also missing. Some of the police stations had also dumped the vehicles due to lack of space on roads, in private plots and even in parks, causing nuisance in residential areas.
Guriqbal Singh, ACP, Licensing and Security, said of 7,500, about 1,000 vehicles had already been moved to the yard at Bagga Kalan and process to shift the remaining vehicles was already intensified and soon, all police stations of the commissionerate would have free space,which could be utilised for other works.
“Though the vehicles are being shifted to a yard at Bagga Kalan, the Ludhiana police had already initiated the process to dispose of these same through auction or by handing over the same to owners. Frequent meetings between the Regional Transport Authority, Drug Disposal Committee and other departments were already taking place so that the vehicles can be disposed of in a timely manner by following the norms,” Guriqbal said.
Sources said about 2,000 vehicles had already been disposed of in a year by the police.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma told The Tribune that instructions to shift the vehicles to the yard were already given to heads of all police stations and senior officials were looking after the process. “All police stations and police posts in Ludhiana will have breathing space soon as the vehicles are being shifted to the yard. The police station heads are actively coordinating with nodal officers entrusted for the task,” he said.
Why vehicles keep piling up at police stations?
Vehicles keep piling up at police stations as due to heavy fines most people fail to get their vehicles released as they can easily get a second-hand vehicle for an amount less than the fine imposed on the same.
