Chandigarh: The Punjab Police has banned ‘jugad rehri’ carts made of old and condemned motorbikes for transportation of goods, citing they could become a cause for accidents.
In a letter dated April 18 to police commissioners and district police chiefs in the state, the additional director general of police (traffic) directed them to launch a special drive against such carts.
The move drew the ire of the opposition parties, which slammed the AAP-led government in the state, saying the ban would render thousands jobless. Those who run ‘jugad rehris’ also condemned the state government’s decision and questioned how they would earn their livelihood.
Scores of people across the state run ‘jugad rehris’ for selling fruit, vegetables, transporting items such as cement, sand, electronic goods and sometimes, passengers too.
Senior vice president of Shiromani Akali Dal Daljit Singh Cheema, in a statement released on Saturday, said the ban has come as a shock for thousands of people.
Such persons were selling vegetables, carrying waste in cities and were using such facilities, created by themselves, for transporting various things from one place to another, he said.
Mere issuing of an order without studying the ground reality is not a sign of healthy governance, Cheema said, adding that while ordering the ban, the Mann-led government should have devised some other alternative through which those running jugad rehris’ could earn their livelihood. —PTI

Press Trust of India