JALANDHAR: The requisition of vehicles by the police for “official work” on some pretext or the other is a common feature in Punjab.
The vehicles generally requisitioned are Maruti vans and Gypsies, Ambassadors and Matadors. Policemen on naka duty in or on the outskirts of the city carry cyclostyled requisition slips signed by the Deputy Commissioner.
In a number of cases, policemen handed over the slips to the drivers or owners and asked the occupants, be they women or children, to get down and go home on their own.
Once the vehicle is taken it is very difficult to locate it, The owners run from police station to police station to get the vehicle back. The vehicle is not generally restored unless the owner has influence with high-ups or is wealthy.
Often when the vehicle is restored it is found that some accessories are missing.
A Delhi businessman who was coming to Jalandhar in his Maruti van was recently stopped on the outskirts of the city. He was asked to leave the vehicle and go. The vehicle was found near Nawanshahar after two months. It had been driven by inexperienced persons and Rs 20,000 had to be spent on repairs.
A few months ago a Matador was seized and the driver taken along with the vehicle to Phagwara. There he was asked to go and the Matador was taken to Jodhpur.
Matador drivers complain that the policemen tell them that the vehicles are needed for the work of officials.
Either payment is not made to the owners or it is delayed for months.
A Jalandhar businessman who had an exemption certificate issued by the Deputy Commissioner was stopped in Hoshiarpur district when returning from a pilgrimage to Chintpurni, The policemen said the exemption was not valid in Hoshiarpur district. With great difficulty he persuaded them to let him go.
Even taxis carrying newspapers are not spared. During the February elections a large number of Maruu van and Gypsy owners did not drive their vehicles for several days for fear of requisitioning, AMRITSAR: Private vehicles are requisitioned in this district by the district administration for the use of security forces from time to time,
In a majority of the cases, pay- ment was made to the owners of these vehicles. But requisitioning the vehicles for the security forces was resented. The SSP, Hardip Singh Dhillon, says that some vehicles were requisitioned during the elections and thereafter to provide escorts to the newly elected MLAs. However, he claims, there are very few vehicles with the police now, Pay- ment has been made to the owners of these vehicles. He claims that there has been no complaint from any quarter about the requisitioning of any vehicle.
The Deputy Commissioner, Karanbir Singh Sidhu, says a procedure is adopted for the requisitioning of vehicles, A request from the police is forwarded to him through his General Assistant, even for requisitioning vehicles belonging to other departments. He denies that he ever signed blank requisition forms for impounding private vehicles,
Responding to a question, Sidhu says that about 25 vehicles, including trucks and Sawraj Mazda’s, have been requisitioned in the district,
Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994
