‘Deployment of cops can rid Heritage Street of encroachments’
Amritsar, May 21
Residents and activists demanded the removal of encroachments, beggars, besides stopping of illegal parking of auto-rickshaws from the Heritage Street here on Saturday.
The Heritage Street, from Bharawan Daa Dhaba to the Golden Temple plaza, is a vehicle-free zone, but ignoring this, a large number of three-wheelers and four-wheelers move frequently in this prohibited area. In the absence of police personnel, some people can be seen using this area from Bharawan Daa dhaba to Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chowk as parking place for their vehicles.
Beggars cause a big nuisance to devotees and visitors, especially newly-wed couples and families with newborn babies. Beggars frequently touch them and even hold their dresses and force them to give alms, inconveniencing them. Most of the shopkeepers either display their articles on the footpath or it seems that they have rented the place in front of their shops to vendors, causing inconveniences to tourists and devotees.
A large number of auto rickshaws and e-rickshaws also cause problems to the visitors. In 2016, when this Heritage Street was opened to the public, more than 100 private guards and some police personnel were deployed to maintain everything in place. But later, the police department withdrew personnel from this area.
Manmohan Singh Brar and Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi, office-bearers of the Amritsar Vikas Manch, along with other members have urged the Deputy Commissioner, the Commissioner of Police and the MC Commissioner to deploy the requisite number of police personnel permanently at the Heritage Street to rid it from a large number of beggars, auto rickshaws and illegal encroachments on the pavements and footpaths.
“We have demanded to deploy requisite number of police personnel at the Heritage Street 24 ×7 to make the area from beggars, vehicles and also demand from the Commissioner of Police to take strict departmental and legal action against the persons who tried to damage the MCA vehicle and misbehaved with the Municipal corporation employees on duty ,” said Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi of the AVM.
