HARYANA, July 23: Under the special campaign launched to implement the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court on traffic rules, including misuse of red lights, black films, pressure horns and encroachment along roads within an area of 15 feet, the concerned departments have accelerated punitive action.So far the district transport department has challaned 331 vehicles for different offenses and realised a composition fee of Rs 2.83 lakh, disposing off 257 cases, where as the pending 72 cases are in the process of being disposed off. The traffic police have challaned 659 drivers and pillion riders on two-wheelers for not wearing helmets, 210 for using black films on glasses of their vehicles and removed unauthorized red lights from 20 cars.This was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner Arun Goel, while addressing a meeting of concerned officers organised to review the progress of the special campaign, here today.The deputy commissioner took a serious view of the slow progress of some departments, including the municipal corporation and the Public Works Department in removing encroachments, hoardings and sign boards within an area of 15 feet along the roads in the district. He directed the municipal corporation and deputy director, local bodies to immediately swing into action to implement all the directions of the high court concerning urban areas and submit the weekly progress report. He also directed the Public Works Department officers to immediately remove all hoardings and encroachments from the main roads and the link roads in the district.Superintending Engineer, PWD Ujjagar Singh informed that the Public Works Department had formed four teams of officers to implement the directions of high court in the district. The general managers of Punjab Roadways, Ludhiana depot, Jagraon depot and the PRTC depot informed that pressure horns had been removed all the buses, while the required number of pollution check machines had been installed to issue certificates.District Transport Officer, Sukhmandir Singh, giving details, informed that during the campaign, 103 pressure horns had been removed from vehicles. He added that vehicles have been challaned for not having pollution check certificates, 15 vehicles for overloading, 31 auto-rickshaws for other irregularities, and many drivers of two wheelers were challaned for not wearing helmets. Five school buses have been impounded, he said.SP (traffic) Amardeep Singh Rai, said that the campaign would be further strengthened from tomorrow onwards, the time limit given to the people to voluntarily comply with some of the directions. He said that seven loudspeakers had been put into service to educate drivers.
