Parking row: Yellow line removed at night by Bathinda MC, traders cry foul

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 10

Hours after the Bathinda MC's Finance & Contract Committee said that cars parked within the yellow line would not be towed away in the market areas of the city, a new controversy erupted after the line was removed at a few locations last night.

Anti-social elements spreading rumours: MC

After videos of the incident went viral on social media, the MC released a press release on Thursday, stating that some anti-social elements were spreading rumours about the yellow line on social media platforms. The MC added that a decision was taken to remove the yellow line only outside the school and multi-storey parking facility on Mall Road.

As per information, employees of the MC were seen erasing the yellow line from the parking lots in front of government senior secondary school and the multi-storey parking near the Mall road around 10 pm on Wednesday night.

When Harjinder Singh Johal Mela, president, Mall Road Shops Association, got information about this, office-bearers of various trade bodies gathered on the Mall road.

Harjinder said the MC was cheating the residents by first announcing that vehicles parked within the yellow line would not be towed away, and then removing the line itself. He accused the MC of misleading the people.

Sonu Maheshwari, president, Naujawan Welfare Society, said after the employees sent by the corporation told the gathered traders that they were instructed by the JE to erase the yellow line at night, after the markets closed, so that no vehicle could be parked there from the very the next day.

After videos of the incident went viral on social media, the MC released a press release today, stating that some anti-social elements were spreading rumours.

The Beopar Mandal and other NGOs were irked over the use of the words “anti-social elements” for them.

“If the decision was taken in the F&CC meet, why was it not made public earlier, and why were employees sent to remove the yellow line during the night?” a trader wondered.