Confiscated vehicles pile up at district police stations

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 15

The rusting of confiscated vehicles is a common site across all police stations in the district. The vehicles that have been impounded are piling up and leading to space crunch in many police stations.

A large number of vehicles, which had to be towed away after accidents, are occupying a large area, leaving police stations cramped for space. It seems these vehicles are occupying almost 80 per cent of the space at some police stations.

The space in most of the police stations is occupied with vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars, jeeps, tempos, gypsies, trucks and buses.

It has also come to the notice that in many vehicles, their parts and components have been found missing. Recently, a case in this regard was registered at the Civil Lines police station.

The district police have constituted a committee under the SP (D) to dispose of such vehicles after getting an approval from the District Magistrate and court.

Bathinda SSP Dr Nanak Singh said, “We have formed a panel under the SP (D) to dispose of the impounded vehicles, which have been piled up at police stations. There will be a change in the situation within 15-20 days.”

Although the Bathinda police had initiated steps to dispose of unclaimed vehicles, sources said there would be no immediate respite as the process involves several legalities.

A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said, “Some of the police stations have become a junkyard as in many cases even after a court order, people don’t turn up to claim their vehicles.”

In November last year, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had informed the Vidhan Sabha that more than 30,000 vehicles, including 10,791 four-wheelers, were lying in police stations in the state.

Besides, the women’s police station here is also facing a shortage of space to store the goods confiscated in dowry and divorce cases. The lone room located on the premises of the police station ran out of its capacity a few years ago. Now, the goods are lying in the open, exposing to the vagaries of the weather.

With such cases increasing over the years, furniture, electronic items and other goods, besides vehicles have become the bone of contention between the families of the boy and girl.