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| Gole Market traders protest as DGP, IGP (T) turn blind eye to tyranny unleashed by Traffic Police | | MLA Raman Bhalla, Corporators join protest; administration looks other way | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Feb 29
As top echelons of Police including the Director General and Inspector General (Traffic) turned a blind eye to the reign of autocratic regime unleashed by the Traffic Police, the traders’ fraternity of Gole Market Gandhi Nagar today pulled down their shutters and lodged a protest demonstration. Gandhi Nagar MLA Raman Bhalla and many local corporators also joined the protest against the Traffic Police.
The traffic movement to and fro Gole Market, adjoining Swarn Theater was blocked this evening as traders came down on roads protesting highhandedness of the Traffic Police. The Traffic Police has banned parking in the well defined parking zone of Gole Market area adjoining Swarn Theater as an act of vengeance. Vehicles are not being allowed to park in around 200 meters area around Monika Super Market where a heavy contingent of Traffic Police cops and executive police has been deployed along with recovery vans. The parking zone which has been existing there for many decades has been thrown out of bounds for all types of vehicles after Early Times newspaper carried a story about the traffic system in Jammu.
The protest was necessitated after the traders did not get any response from the Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and IGP Traffic Mr Shah who were informed about the situation. The Traffic Police has banned parking in the well defined parking zone of Gole Market area adjoining Swarn Theater as an act of vengeance. Vehicles are not being allowed to be parked in around 200 meters area around Monika Super Market where a heavy contingent of Traffic Police cops and executive police has been deployed along with recovery vans. The parking zone which has been existing there for many decades has been thrown out of bounds for all types of vehicles after ‘Early Times’ newspaper carried a story about the traffic system in Jammu.
This act of the Traffic Police is causing huge loss to the business establishments in the area and is also causing a huge inconvenience to the visitors in the area. After three days of autocratic rule of the Traffic department, the representatives of the traders of the area brought the matter to the notice of IGP (Traffic) but to no avail. He assured an action into the matter but the area was not cleared.
After this, the representatives also called on the Director General of Police Sh Kuldeep Khoda who assured to lift the traffic restrictions by afternoon but nothing happened. The area still continues to be under an undeclared curfew and there is a huge presence of cops and no movement or parking of vehicles is allowed.
Rising in defense of their genuine rights, the traders fraternity of the area this evening unanimously shut down their shops and staged a strong protest demonstration against the Traffic Police. To lodge protest, the to and fro movement of traffic was blocked and the traders burnt tyres in the road raising slogans against the Traffic Department. They had decided to go on indefinite protest against the Traffic Department, but MLA Gandhi Nagar Sh Raman Bhalla intervened into the matter and assured them to get the traffic restriction lifted. Upon his assurance the protest was called off.
Prominent among those who led the protest were: Dr Balwant, Hemant Mattoo, Chandan Gupa, Sardar Menga Singh, Pawan Gupta and RK Sharma. They were also joined by Corporators Jaswant Singh Soodan and Hardeep Singh Mankotia
Earlier, a representation was made to the Director General of Police informing him about the while situation. The DGP had assured that the traffic restrictions shall be lifted till the afternoon but nothing happened on the ground.
It may be mentioned here that the Early Times newspaper, in its issue dated February 26, carried a story on its front page commenting on the sorry state of affairs of the traffic on the roads of Jammu City. The story thus went on say that an unprecedented rise in the number of vehicles with no corresponding increase in the road length has made traffic management a serious problem in Jammu.
the story did not make any personal references or did not cast aspersion on the capabilities of any officer. In fact, the story criticized the manner in which the traffic system is sought to be streamlined and commented on the areas of priorities, which according to our editorial understanding were being ignored.
The Traffic Police reacted bitterly to the story and warned the Managing Editor of Early Times against writing such a commentary in future. Not only this, on the same day, the Traffic Police turned the entire area in front of Monika Super Market as a no parking zone and deputed a posse of cops there. It is pertinent to mention here that Monika Super Market is owned by the proprietors of the Early Times newspaper.
This action of the Traffic Police, is apparently a clear case of vengeance as it comes immediately after the telephonic warning of SSP Traffic Mr Shafqat Wattali and the area disbanded for parking had already been clearly declared by the authorities as 'parking zone'.
Any vehicle being parked there is being lifted through the recovery van and staff of the Monika Super Market as well as that of Early Times is being harassed by the Traffic Police without any cause or offence. |
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