Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, May 28: Many dumpers, tippers and tractor trolleys are plying fearlessly without number plates and no action is being taken against them in Samba district.
According to sources at present, the work on Delhi-Amritsar- Katra expressway is going on fast track in the district, in which many vehicles are engaged in carrying the mining material and often the vehicles number plates are deliberately damaged by the drivers to indulge in illegal mining. The number plates of most of the vehicles are missing and there are many vehicles whose number plates on both the front and rear sides are missing and they roam fearlessly day and night on the highway, flouting the law, sources added.
In such a situation, questions are being raised on the functioning of the Traffic Department and ARTO Samba as to how these vehicles often roam on the Highway during day and night, sources said. The Traffic personnel check the vehicles by setting up special checkpoints at many places including Samba Main Chowk, Link Bazaar, Border Road, Rakh Amb Tali, Mansar Mod, Vijaypur Chowk, AIIMS Naka, Bari Brahmana Chowk and take action against them and also impose fine. But the question arises that how do such vehicles without number plates escape from their eyes, sources added.
Such vehicles are often involved in illegal mining activities, sources said. They do this so that they can hide their identity and avoid being caught by the police and Mining Department officials. There is a ban on mining in the district for more than a year and these people get involved in illegal mining and remove the number plate from the rear side of the vehicle or apply mud on it so that the number cannot be seen, sources added.
Sources said this way the vehicle could not be easily caught and it manages to escape by taking advantage of removing or hiding the number plate. Traffic Department personnel often surreptitiously take photographs of those vehicles violating traffic rules and also impose fine on them, but tippers and dumpers openly flout traffic rules, sources added.
Mandeep Sambyal, former President Bar Association Samba, said “We have often seen them running vehicles openly on the roads, but no action is taken against them.,” He said traffic personnel keep issuing challans to local people every day. These people often issue challans by stealthily taking photographs from their personal mobiles and how these big vehicles without number plates disappear from their sight is a reflection on their functioning and a big question mark on them, he added.
These vehicles often found involved in illegal mining said Varinder Singh (Lucky), former Sarpanch Mandi Thalora, Samba. The drivers and mafia indulging in such practice should be dealt strictly, he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel