Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has directed the state govt to arrange necessary funds for establishing a designated junkyard and police post near Dhami to safely store impounded vehicles that are currently occupying roadsides in Shimla.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi took note of a govt communication placed before the court stating that the police authorities have, in principle, identified a junkyard site at 16 Mile near Dhami in Ghandal village. The proposed site measures 0-45-30 hectares and can be used for constructing a police post, vehicle parking facility, and storage of seized vehicles.
Pedestrians walk through heavy monsoon rain at the Ridge Maidan in Shimla
The court observed that a large number of impounded vehicles are presently parked on public roads, creating inconvenience for commuters and raising safety concerns. As per the records submitted before the bench, 117 seized vehicles are parked on the road stretch from Hotel Asia The Dawn to District Court Chakkar in Shimla, while another 190 vehicles are stationed along the road from Tara Devi to Kanchi Mod in Shimla.The bench expressed concern over the condition of these vehicles, observing that keeping them on roadside locations increases the possibility of theft and damage due to inadequate security arrangements. The court also noted that the vehicles are obstructing the smooth movement of traffic. The estimated preliminary cost for developing the proposed facilities is Rs 6.23 lakh. Of this amount, Rs 3.73 lakh has been allocated for construction of the police post and parking facility at Dhami, while Rs 2.49 lakh has been estimated for setting up the district junkyard. The required clearance certificate for the project has also been issued by the wildlife division in Shimla.However, the finance department has not approved the new proposals and has suggested continuing with the existing arrangements. Taking note of the issue, the court impleaded the finance secretary as a respondent and directed the officer to file an affidavit to provide the funds for the project by the next date of hearing.About the condition of the road leading to the Jubbarhatti airport in Shimla, a communication from the concerned superintending engineer of the public works department apprised the court that repair work on the road would be undertaken at the earliest, depending on favourable weather conditions, either through patchwork or proper metalling and tarring. The case has been deferred for further hearing on Sept 28.
