Permanent nakas a no-no on highways, can't impede traffic flow: Punjab DGP to HC

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, May 25

The Punjab Police today told the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) that police barriers cannot be set up permanently on national and state highways for checking documents of vehicles. The police said a barrier for short duration could be erected on highways.

Aim was to stop unauthorised interference

The information was furnished around two months after Justice Sangwan called for affidavits from police chiefs with an aim to apply brakes on unauthorised interference by traffic and other cops deployed at nakas on the state and national highways

“The primary purpose of stopping a vehicle is not checking its documents, but for security purposes and traffic violations,” Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan’s Bench was told.

In an affidavit, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav submitted that permanent fixtures could not be there. “On highways, these are erected/installed only for a limited duration to maintain smooth flow of traffic and ensure security,” it was added.

The information was furnished around two months after Justice Sangwan called for affidavits from the police chiefs with an aim to apply brakes on unauthorised interference by traffic and other cops deployed at nakas on the state and national highways.

Yadav stated that a DDR was recorded at the respective police station/police post by an official concerned when a barrier was erected for any reason, including checking illegal activities, on the basis of intelligence inputs, apprehension of a serious law and order situation or for checking over-speeding vehicles.

He said police officials had the authority to stop any motor vehicle found committing traffic violation irrespective of the “registration number of any state”. He said all efforts were made in the process to not to create any hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic.

“Whenever a vehicle is signalled to stop, the driver is immediately instructed to park it on the extreme left side of the road. While doing so, the Punjab Police makes all efforts to ensure that the public is not inconvenienced in any manner and no traffic snarls are created, especially in the thickly populated areas,” he said.

The directions by Justice Sangwan came in a case where a complainant-police official stated that he was present on a main road alone while on traffic duty. The complainant had an altercation with riders after he tried to stop their motorcycle for checking documents. The matter was brought to Justice Sangwan’s notice after the two accused filed petitions for grant of regular bail in an FIR registered against them on March 18.