Police encroach on access to Sukhdev Market

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, October 17

Shopkeepers and residents in the vicinity have expressed resentment against encroachment on a part of vacant land providing access to shops in Sukhdev Market (Near Kailsah Cinema) in Civil Lines locality here. Ironically, the police station located in the market complex is the biggest culprit with no one to check brazen encroachment for dumping impounded and recovered stolen vehicles which partly, or at times, fully block the entry to the market.

Peeved at partial or complete blockage of the passage to the market, the shopkeepers say they have taken up the matter verbally and in writing also with the police officials of Division No. 4 and their superiors for finding a solution to the issue of encroachment on vacant land and shifting of the dumped vehicles to an alternative place without any positive response till now.

Ashwani Kumar, a tractor parts supplier in the market, says visitors to his office find it difficult to park their vehicles and in the absence of parking space, they are forced to park their vehicles at a distance and walk to his office.

Similar views were expressed by Rakesh Bhagotra, owner of a printing press located in the market. He said both entrances to the market from the Kailsah Cinema main road and from the side remain blocked causing harassment both to shopkeepers and visitors.

The shopkeepers say the situation is further compounded when a petrol tanker of the adjoining filling station is parked right at the mouth of the passage to the market. “At times, not even a bicycle or two-wheeler can enter of go out of the market from the side entrance,” he says.

Division No. 4 SHO Inspector Vijay Kumar said the matter had been taken up with the senior police officials and the Municipal Corporation for providing an alternative place for keeping the impounded and vehicles recovered from thieves. “But till an alternative place is provided for this purpose, we have no other option but to use this vacant site for keeping the vehicles,” he said.