Acting on the Punjab and Haryana High Court's directions to expedite the disposal of unclaimed vehicles lying in police stations across the state, the Punjab Police has disposed of 7,402 impounded vehicles in the last month alone.
Before launching the drive, the Punjab Police had 55,721 vehicles in its custody. During the same period, intensified statewide checks against traffic violations and illegal activities led to the impounding of another 3,355 vehicles. This took the cumulative number of vehicles in police custody to 59,076. Following the disposal of 7,402 vehicles, the total number currently in police custody has come down to 51,674.
Commenting on the drive, Punjab Police Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said, "Owing to intensified checking of vehicles and action against offenders, the Punjab Police has been running various programs. In the last month, the police have impounded 3,355 vehicles, and with smooth and professional follow-up, as many as 7,402 have been disposed of."
Meanwhile, applications relating to 8,121 vehicles (excluding those covered under Section 52A of the NDPS Act) are under legal scrutiny, while 1,276 applications under Section 52A of the NDPS Act are pending legal attestation of inventory and photography.
The disposal drive was carried out across districts and commissionerates, with the highest numbers recorded in Jalandhar Commissionerate, where 779 of the 5,993 vehicles in custody were disposed of. Moga Police disposed of 697 vehicles out of 2,367 in custody, while Bathinda cleared 631 of its 3,008 impounded vehicles.
Ferozepur disposed of 586 vehicles from a total of 2,649 in custody, Ludhiana (Rural) cleared 538 of its 1,618 vehicles, and Ludhiana Commissionerate disposed of 460 vehicles out of 7,471 in its custody. Tarn Taran disposed of 302 vehicles from a total of 2,033, while Fazilka Police cleared 283 vehicles out of 2,216 under their custody.
Special DGP (Law and Order), Punjab, Praveen Kumar Sinha said, "The numbers speak for themselves. The Punjab Police is not only quick in maintaining law and order but also ensures the smooth implementation of legal processes. In the coming months, the state police will try to fast-track the process to release vehicles under custody following all legal procedures in a time-bound manner."
(With inputs from ANI)