Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) asked to be present during next hearing
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) asked to be present during next hearing
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the city police over unmanned barricades on roads causing blockage and huge traffic jams.
Taking a serious view of the matter, a Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta and Justice Anish Dayal ordered the Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) to be present in the court on the next date of hearing on September 5.
“What is all this, Roads are meant for traffic or being closed like this? This is how you manage traffic by blocking all the routes? If someone has a medical emergency, he will first have to spend half an hour to cross that way and the ill person might not reach the hospital in time,” the Bench remarked.
“The one who has to escape, manages to give you a slip anyway. At 6 p.m. when the traffic is at its peak you put these barricades and block roads,” the Bench said.
Observation on PIL
The observation of the Bench came while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) initiated after taking cognisance of a letter written to the Prime Minister, by one Om Prakash Goel highlighting placement of unmanned barricades on several roads in south Delhi area.
The Prime Minister Office had in turn sent the December 10, 2021 letter by Mr. Goel, who claims to be the president of the Delhi Pradeshik Aggarwal Sammelan to the Delhi High Court for taking appropriate action.
During the hearing, the Bench perused the status report filed by the Delhi police where it stated that a standing order on ‘procurement, maintenance and operational usage of mobile barricades’ has been revised in 2021.
As per the standing order, it has been instructed to police officers that under no circumstances, the barricades should be left unmanned and should be removed from the carriageway and footpaths when not in use so that they do not cause any traffic hindrance or became a cause of potential hazard for motorists and pedestrians.
The Delhi police also placed on record a March 4, 2022 letter of the police headquarters which was issued for sensitising the officers to ensure meticulous compliance with the directions contained in the 2021 standing order.
“Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) will be present in the court on the next date of hearing with a detailed report as to how the compliance of the standing order of 2021 will be ensured,” the High Court order said.
Cause harassment
Mr. Goel, in his letter, raised grievance with regard to the setting up of unmanned barricades in Kalkaji, Govindpuri, C.R. Park police station areas. His grievance was that these unmanned barricades serve no purpose and cause blockage in the free flow of traffic, causing misery and harassment to the vehicle owners and the general public. They lead to long traffic jams and hold-ups.
“The issue raised by O.P. Goel requires consideration since the unmanned barricades of the roads, prima facie, serve no purpose and do indeed cause inconvenience and harassment to the public at large. Such barricades are also being used to set up and run kiosks for parking vehicles,” the court had earlier remarked.
The High Court also heard an application showing barricading done in the Vasant Kunj area in South Delhi where the photographs showed that not only unmanned barricades have been placed on the road but the entire road is blocked by mobile barricades.
