Police draw flak for failing to find solution to vehicle congestion on Sirsa roads

Sirsa city is facing a worsening traffic crisis, with almost every major road choked with vehicule congestion throughout the day. Residents have raised serious concerns over managing traffic at key city intersections. The traffic police are more focused on issuing challans in narrow lanes, residential colonies and even villages rather than finding solution for road congestions in the city.

While highlighting the issue, city resident Ratiram Bansal said, “It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cross just 200 metres from Ambedkar Chowk to Parshuram Chowk on a two-wheeler and 25 minutes in a car.”

He blamed roadside encroachments by street vendors and incomplete stormwater pipeline installation work as major contributors to daily traffic chaos. He said, “Roads remain dug-up and uneven with no efforts from the authorities concerned to compete the construction work within stipulated time frame.”

Another resident Sardarilal alleged that the traffic police were more focused on generating revenue rather than managing movement of vehicles in the city. He claimed that over 10,576 challans were issued in May, with fines amounting to Rs 3.35 crore. “Do the police care about controlling traffic?” he asked, alleging that the focus had shifted from traffic regulation to gernrating revenue.

Another resident Rajesh Saini pointed out that in areas like Dr Poonia Street near Nandan Vatika, shopkeepers had extended their shops onto streets. “Some have placed permanent stalls, others have stocked pipes and goods outside their shops. But the traffic police are busy issuing challans rather than taking action against these encroachments,” he said. He said the traffic police were not sparing residents from challans even in the inner lanes, while the issue of vehicular congestion remained unaddressed in the city.

Sharing more balanced view, Devvarta Sharma, also a city resident, said the blame doesn’t rest solely on the police. He said, “Shopkeepers stock their goods on roads and people park their vehicles carelessly. Everyone has to be held responsible.” He also raised questions over plying of illegal vehicles like Peter rehras and parking of sugarcane juice stalls on roads. He urged the authorities concerned to take action against shopkeepers who allegedly paid monthly bribes to officials to occupy public spaces.

Gurkirat Singh, a city resident, shared his concern about unnecessary fines being imposed by the traffic police in the rural areas. He alleged that the traffic police had set targets to collect fines, which burdened the common people already struggling with inflation.

“The little money we save is taken away through challans,” he said. He called on Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma to get illegal pipelines removed from canals.

A resident on condition of anonymity questioned why challans were not issued at sensitive spots like the Police Lines or Mini-Secretariat Chowk, suggesting that officials were adopting double standards. “Why not enforce rules equally for everyone including the police and lawyers?” he asked.

When asked about the issue, traffic police in-charge Rajendra Kumar acknowledged that ongoing pipeline work was slowing traffic movement across the city. On the issue of imposing fines, he said violators were challaned as per orders from the higher authorities. He said the traffic police were ready to assist the Municipal Council in removing encroachments from the city if requested by officials concerned.

Haryana Tribune