City police is caught in a catch 22 situation due to increasing number of impounded vehicle and simultaneously increasing space crunch. The impounded machines range from recovered automobiles to seized ones which are not being claimed.
The police stations are struggling with the shortage of space to keep these vehicles; but conducting regular check posts across the city is adding to their woes, with more vehicles being impounded in addition to the earlier seized one.
According to the records provided by the Chandigarh police 4322 vehicles have been impounded in the year 2013, under various traffic offences, while more than 51,759 vehicles had already been confiscated by the City Police last year.
Around 250 violators have been fined for drunken driving itself in the month of May, while more than 86 vehicles were impounded. Manish Chaudhary, Superintendent of Police (traffic), said that drunken driving is the root cause of fatal accidents so special check posts are being erected to curb the incidents of drunken driving, following which the number of impounded vehicles are also increasing.
However the problem is turning into a menace for the police department as storing the impounded vehicles has become a nightmare but on the other hand the number is increasing on a regular basis as very few of them are being taken back by the owner.
Chaudhary further added that the recovered vehicles which were once stolen from the City however have not been claimed by owners. These unclaimed recovered vehicles are also adding to the existing figures as it cannot be disposed without court orders.
The open space that was available in police lines sector-26 is also over crowded with impounded vehicles. The police department is looking for all possible solution but to no avail and on the other hand with the lack of space the police cannot stop impounding the vehicles of traffic violators as it may create mayhem.
Meanwhile, court has also become proactive when it comes to dealing with offenders of drunken driving. In first three months of 2013, around 208 persons have been convicted for drunken driving which has only added to the woes of the police department.