Right under MC’s nose, public spaces outside police station in Amritsar turn scrapyard

In Ranjit Avenue — considered one of the most posh areas of Amritsar — public spaces have turned into scrapyards, right under the nose of the city’s top civic authorities.

Green belts and footpaths outside the Ranjit Avenue police station, near the offices of the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) and the municipal corporation, have remained encroached upon for years.

Residents allege that, despite repeated complaints, no corrective action has been taken. Accidental and confiscated vehicles, including two-wheelers, cars, vans, school buses and other automobiles, marked as case property can be spotted placed on public land.

Police barricades and damaged vehicles occupy footpaths and green belts, forcing pedestrians onto busy roads and choking traffic movement.

Residents say the situation has persisted for years despite the visible presence of the Mayor, Municipal Commissioner and the AIT Chairman in the area.

Residents allege that Ranjit Avenue, once projected as a model urban area, has virtually been converted into a junkyard — a dumping ground for seized vehicles and scrap.

The sight of rusting vehicles, broken barricades and scattered debris, they said, stood in sharp contrast to official claims of urban renewal and Smart City development.

As public land remains occupied, green belts disappear and footpaths stay unusable, a larger question persists: When will elected representatives and the administration wake up from what residents describe as a deep slumber and translate promises of development into visible, on-ground action?

Tejpal Singh Uppal, a Ranjit Avenue-based trader, said: “A Scorpio car belonging to the Amritsar Police Commissionerate is frequently parked in the middle of the road near AIT Chowk, obstructing traffic and symbolising administrative apathy.”

Jagjeet Singh Suchu, president of the E Block, Ranjit Avenue, Residents’ Welfare Association said: “We have repeatedly raised the issue with elected representatives and other officials, but no action has been taken so far. The police station is being operated on encroached land, while a large portion of the green belt and footpath has been taken over for parking impounded vehicles. Permanent barricades installed at the chowk are further choking traffic. The AIT failed to remove illegal vegetable vendors from the footpath, and, after installing barricades, the traffic situation has worsened.”

Navdeep Kaur, councillor of Ward 3, said: “During the last term, my husband Harpan Aujla raised the issue with the administration. Before the elections, there was a proposal to shift the police station to the Water Supply and Sewerage Board building adjoining the municipal corporation office, but, after the elections, the plan fizzled out. I have demanded that the AIT Chairman allot proper space for the police station in Ranjit Avenue, as it looks ugly to operate a government office from an encroached public green belt.”