The Delhi High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the city police over unmanned barricades on roads causing blockage and huge traffic jams. Taking a serious view of the matter, a Bench consisting of Justice Mukta Gupta and Justice Anish Dayal ordered the Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) to be present in the court on the next date of hearing on September 5. “Please let me tell you, they just don’t apply their mind. In the evening hours when there is so much rush, they will have those intersections. They would be standing on the side, not looking at one vehicle. Why are they blocking the roads?” said the court, while addressing a counsel representing the Delhi Police. The bench earlier asked whether the roads were meant for traffic “or being closed like this”. While particularly addressing a police official from the Vasant Kunj area, the court said, “Aise sadak bandh karte hai aap? Raat ko saare raste band kar denge aap? Saare raaste band kardenge, kisi ko koi medical emergency hojaye toh aadha ghanta toh inhi raston main nikal jaye, hospital tak bach ke pahunche na wo. (Do you close roads like this? Do you close all roads during the night? When you close all roads and someone faces a medical emergency, they will end up wasting half an hour in finding the exit and then not reach the hospital alive).” The court added that such barricades are put up around 6 pm when there is peak traffic. “There is also an issue. So many times as citizens we see there is half a barricade there, there is nobody around and that one barricade on an otherwise empty road is causing a traffic jam..,” it continued. Delhi Police told HC that detailed standing order was issued in 2021 on the usage of mobile barricades, and it has been instructed that under no circumstances the barricades should be left unmanned, and be removed from the carriageway and footpath when not in use so that they don’t cause traffic hindrance or become a cause of potential hazard for motorists and pedestrians. In the nutshell Delhi HC raps police for putting unmanned barricades on roads
