Delhi: In decongestion bid, district SHOs to get rid of encroachments

At a crime review meeting with the three district heads later, Kumar raised the issues but was told by deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) that it was the usual state of affairs, and that people made false complaints against police staff when their encroachments were removed.

Kumar, who was earlier posted with the Traffic unit, then called a meeting with SHOs and asked them to first identify a particular road most affected by congestion.

“After identifying the road, they were asked to coordinate with the traffic department and civic agencies to remove illegal encroachments. They were also asked to issue challans and deploy local police staff to ensure smooth flow of traffic,” Kumar told The Sunday Express.

During his annual press conference in January, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik had said encroachment removal drives are periodically undertaken in coordination with land owning agencies as and when requests are received to decongest pathways.

“Following the L-G’s order, local bodies and police are taking intensive action on the basis of various court directions for removal of encroachments on 29 identified corridors,” Patnaik had said.