Iron grills along Barnala bypass road go missing

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 24

Iron grills installed along the highway on the Barnala bypass in the city have gone missing, but surprisingly a theft incident has not been reported to the police.

These were installed to demarcate the highway stretch from the slip roads alongside the Barnala by-pass road in the city.

In the absence of the iron grills, it has become difficult to regulate traffic and restrict the movement of pedestrians and stray animals on the highway where traffic moves at high speed. The authorities concerned seem to be unaware of the theft.

A district administration official on condition of anonymity said theft of iron grills might be the handiwork of drug addicts. However, no reports or complaints about the theft of grills had been received so far.

However, drug addicts are not the only one who can be blamed for such thefts as shopkeepers too break these grills to make passages which make it easier for drug addicts to carry them away.

Gurleen Kaur, a city resident, said, “Anti-social elements are to be blamed for the missing grills. No shopkeeper would dare remove the grills in front of their shops, fearing that he would be held accountable in case the administration takes any punitive action in this regard.”

Another resident Shikhar Goyal said, “It is known that anti-social elements are always looking out ways to make a quick buck. Government agencies should understand that instead of installing expensive material like heavy iron grills, some cheaper and permanent structures like cemented dividers should be installed.”

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “He will write to the PWD and B&R Departments and ask them to keep a check on this as this issue is linked with the beautification of the city”.

An official said filing a police case means sheer harassment for the complainant. Since the complaint is against unknown persons, there is no second party to appear in the court. Even after the complainant officer gets transferred, he or she will have to keep on coming for all the court hearings.

It is pertinent to mention that earlier also, the entire row of the divider on Bibiwala Road was found missing and grills at some stretches of the busy GT road were stolen. The MCB had got two cases registered against two unidentified persons.