Spurt in thefts at city bus stand

Avneet

Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, February 17

With proper security measures not in place and CCTV cameras lying non-functional, passengers have alleged an increase in cases of theft and pick-pocketing at the city bus stand.

Speaking to the Jalandhar Tribune, passengers voiced their concerns regarding rising cases of theft at the bus stand. Passengers said the sights of people crying for their valuables at the bus stand are quite common. This had created a panic among them. They also accused the authorities concerned of being lax when it comes to dealing with anti-social elements.

A majority of private bus operators alleged, “Every month around five to six theft cases are reported in the city bus stand, most of them take place during night. An LED of a private bus operator was recently stolen from the bus stand.”

Anika, a passenger travelling to Nawanshahr, said, "The authorities responsible for extending security to the passengers should ensure hassle-free journey and proper safety at the bus stand. Besides increasing the security, they should also take steps to crack the robbery and theft cases to bring the criminals to justice."

Earlier too, passengers had raised their concerns over travelling in government and private buses, but to no avail, she added.

Another passenger, Siddharth Singh, said, “Despite the presence of cops and cameras, thieves are able to target passengers with impunity. They flee with their valuables without even letting them have a whiff of the same.”

Police officials should keep an eye and guards should be deployed to take a round of the bus stand after every two hours, he added.

Station supervisor Sukhvinder Singh admitted that theft cases are being reported on regular basis and that few of the CCTV cameras are lying non-functional.