HC Pulls Up Himachal Govt Over Dumped Police Vehicles, Hauls Finance Secretary to Court
Shimla, August 6: Taking a stern view of the continued dumping of accidented and impounded vehicles along a key road leading to Shimla Airport and near the District Court at Chakkar, the High Court of Himachal Pradesh has tightened the screws on the state government by impleading the Secretary (Finance) and seeking a personal affidavit on why funds have not been released to shift the vehicles to a designated junkyard.
Hearing the suo motu public interest matter, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. Negi expressed concern that hundreds of vehicles continue to occupy roadsides despite earlier directions, posing traffic hazards and increasing the risk of theft and pilferage.
The Court had previously directed the Police Department to identify an alternative site away from the roadside for dumping impounded vehicles. In response, the government informed the Bench that a 00-45-30 hectare site at 16 Mile near Dhami in Village Ghandal had been identified for developing a police post, vehicle parking facility and district junkyard.
However, the Court was informed that the Finance Department did not approve the proposal and instead favoured continuation of the existing arrangement, effectively allowing the roadside dumping to continue.
Official records placed before the Court revealed that 117 impounded vehicles remain parked on the road from Hotel Asia The Dawn to the District Court at Chakkar, while 190 more vehicles are lying on the roadside between Tara Devi and Kachi Mod, highlighting the scale of the problem.
The proposed project requires only about Rs. 6.23 lakh, including Rs. 3.74 lakh for construction of the police post and parking facility at Dhami and Rs. 2.49 lakh for establishing the district junkyard.
Questioning the delay despite the modest financial requirement, the Bench impleaded the Secretary (Finance) as respondent and directed the officer to file an affidavit before the next hearing explaining the provision of funds for relocating the impounded vehicles.
The Court also took note of the poor condition of the airport road. The Superintending Engineer, HPPWD, informed the Bench that repair work, including patchwork or proper metalling and tarring, would be undertaken as soon as weather conditions permit.
The matter will now come up for hearing on September 28, 2026, with the Finance Department expected to explain why the Court's earlier directions have remained unimplemented despite repeated concerns over public safety and traffic management.
