Police, civic body ‘soft’ on eateries in Mohali markets

For some strange reasons the district administration and the police go weak in their knees when it comes to dealing with eatery owners in markets, especially Phase-3B2.

After today’s accident, questions are once again being raised on why eatery owners are allowed to operate all night long here. The Mohali Municipal Corporation stipulates shops to be closed at 11 pm, but there is not even a single day in the whole year when it is implemented in letter and spirit.

“There are shops in Phase-3B2 shutters of which have never been downed even once this year. They are open 24x7, 365 days a year. The delivery boys who were injured in the accident were on the periphery of one such shop. It is the job of police to enforce the timing strictly. Why don’t they do it and what stops them from doing so?” said a councillor.

“They serve liquor in eateries. It is unsafe for girls and families to go to the market after 8 pm. You now know what happens after that. Poor, hardworking people are being mowed down while others are having joyrides,” said Amanpreet Kaur, a Phase-3B2 resident.

The CCTV footage of the incident shows the recklessness with which the Chandigarh registered Mercedes threw people in air while hitting other vehicles. It was clear that the dangerously driven vehicle had passed through many city roads unchecked. This at a time when Mohali police has claimed that day and night nakas have been set up with cops on high alert.

Another councillor squarely blamed eatery owners for the entire mess in the market area. “They dispose of waste in the open. All drains in the market are choked with food waste. They have encroached on corridors and parking lots also. The life of residents living in the backlane of these eateries is worst. Noises around their stores and godowns and generator sets do not allow us to live in peace and silence,” he added.