HC traffic orders: UT may move apex court

CHANDIGARH, July 22: The UT Administration is quot;seriously consideringquot; filing a Special Leave Petition SLP in the Supreme Cour...

CHANDIGARH, July 22: The UT Administration is quot;seriously consideringquot; filing a Special Leave Petition SLP in the Supreme Court against the recent judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on traffic regulation and pollution control.

The Administration has also submitted an application to the High Court, seeking an extension of 45 days in implementing the judgment.

On account of this development, the City police is likely to delay its drive to challan the violators of the directions given by the High Court. It was earlier being considered that the challaning would begin from July 25.

Officials point out that in the judgment delivered on July 9, the High Court had given three weeks for its implementation in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Officials of Punjab, Haryana and UT also held a meeting yesterday on the judgment, in which the directions were discussed in detail.

Officials highlight that a number of directions are quot;unimplementablequot;. It is also being felt that some directions limit the right of the Administration to take decisions.

In this light, the Administration is filing the SLP in the apex court. The Administration has already obtained legal advice on the matter. A final decision in this regard is likely to be taken within a week.

UT officials assert that this does not imply that the Administration is stalling the implementation of the judgment in any way. quot;The Administration is taking adequate measures to implement as many directions as possible,quot; an official said.

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Officials highlight that three weeks are not sufficient for the implementation of all the directions. An official said that this much time was taken by government departments in reacting to quot;an unprecedented judgment like thisquot; and assessing it.

While officials admitted that the SLP would have to be filed on many aspects of the judgment, they were tightlipped on the specific directions which would be taken up in the SLP.

The High Court had directed that helmets be made compulsory for all two-wheeler riders and pillion-riders except Sikhs wearing turbans. The directions included introduction of one-way traffic in Sectors 17 and 24 and in the institutional and commercial sectors in the City; a ban on use of black films on four-wheelers and punching of driving licence for each violation.

The directions were given by the High Court following a PIL seeking regulation of traffic and pollution control.