Festivities over, Amritsar MC launches anti-encroachment drive

Amritsar, November 21

As the festival season is over, encroachers are back on roads leaving no space for commuters and pedestrians. The district administration, the civic body and the police were going soft on the offenders in view of the festive season.

Now, the traffic police along and municipal corporation authorities led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amandeep Kaur have started a campaign against rampant encroachments.

Today, they visited the railway station road, Putlighar Chowk and Chheharta Chowk and removed encroachments and warned the shopkeepers against extending their shops by displaying goods on footpaths and roads.

The rampant encroachments on the roads have become a bane on the holy city leaving no space for commuters and pedestrians. Not only the shopkeepers, pull carts with vegetables, fruits and other goods also stationed on the roads leading to traffic chaos.

Before the festival season, the traffic police had launched a drive to remove encroachments which had helped streamline traffic as roads were cleared of encroachments making enough space for traffic. However, after one month, the situation is back to square one and encroachments have returned.

ADCP Amandeep Kaur said not only encroachments, but haphazard parking were also creating hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic. “People park their vehicles in a haphazard manner giving scant a thought to the problem faced by others due to their act,” she said. She urged the people to park their vehicles in the parking lots. She said the police would take stern action against the offenders, adding that the drive would continue in the coming days.