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Got screwed in Chandigarh
Another cop had the guts to tell me le-de kar khatam karlo. which really pi$$ed me off. I was damn furious. First of all, I was not at fault and then these guys were asking for a bribe. I asked him to prepare a challan and the cop looked at me beliwered as if asking what sort of guy was he talking to. I went to the Sector 29 office and paid the challan amount. Even the clerk, there told me - le dekar kam khatam kra dena si. One can guess how well oiled the machinary is..!!
I wonder how in Himachal we guys are so hospitable to the people coming here as our guests. The police here is so accomodating to the tourists and makes it a point not to harras them. On the other hand it is quite the opposite in Chandigarh especially to the Himachal drivers. A million dollar light appears on there face as soon as they see a HP numbered car with the crooked grin. Being a center for education and medical facilities and now recently having come up as an IT destination, Chandigarh is the most visited place by Himachalis. If this is the way people from Himachal are going to be treated in Chandigarh, then one day there could be some serious backlash. As such Chandigarh as a city is inhabited by the retired.. doling out living from the govt pension funds and their children having moved to Delhi or far away. The city has no vibrancy and it is where the cops come in for the kill. Probably they also know they won’t get anything from the city oldies and look for the Himachalis to make a fast buck.
The least I had this satisfaction that I did not gave into the demands of the cops and bribed them
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Ill be sure to be careful when I get to Chandigarh!
The Chandigarh Police atrocious when it comes to dealing with vehicles bearing Himachal number plates.
It is appreciable that you did not give in to the demands of the corrupt police… and let the government exechquer benefit from the ransom demanded.
@Ravinder ji
Ransom is what I paid in Chandigarh. These cops play the tough cop-friendly cop game. One of them would do all the straight talk and the other would act friendly and try and broker a deal.
As this seems to be a permanent problem for us Himachalis in Chandigarh, if anyone else feels like not paying the bribe, the challan office is situated at Sector 29-B and is open till 10 pm.
Though I have never been to Shimla I love HP, particularly Spiti. Sorry to hear about your bad experience and so glad to read that you paid the chalan.
Thanks Mridula
I guess I know you from Indiamike..!! Glad that you paid a visit here
Here is another incident of harrasment of Himachali driver in Chandigarh published in The Tribune on August 10. The letter to editor is being posted in ditto
On July 23, I had to go to the PGI, Chandigarh, as my 10-month-old granddaughter was to undergo D.M.S.A. (Gamma Camera) test as prescribed by the doctors. I and my family members were in our own vehicle. All the documents required under the rules were carefully maintained and my well-trained licence holder driver was also making use of his safety belt.
Just near the hospital two Chandigarh Police cops pounced upon our car (HP 36-4656) and volleyed a query that was honourably responded by my driver. Still, we were detained and harassed for about an hour.
Strangely, the same harassment is being meted out to most of the drivers of HP here in this “city beautiful”.
RAVI DATTA, Dehra (Kangra)
Link to the post
People are coming out with complaints. Here is a letter published in Tribune, Sept 29
Cops should learn to behave
Chandigarh cops are behaving irresponsibly. They are not sparing even senior citizens. Undue harassment of people by the traffic police also needs some attention. People don’t come forward to complain because of the fear of police. On all roads linking inter-state highways like Madhya Marg leading to Panchkula-Kalka- Shimla Highway, Purv Marg and Chandi Path connecting NH21 through southern sectors and NH21 itself passing through various sectors, etc., vehicles bearing only outside numbers are stopped by the traffic police and people harassed. Even PCR vehicles indulge in such harassment.
I remember having read in the Tribune sometime ago that the traffic police has been instructed not to stop vehicles bearing outside numbers unless there is a visible traffic offence. But the harassment continues unabated. It is not so in other states/UTs including New Delhi.
J.R. GARG, PS to Chief Secretary of Punjab, Chandigarh
Original Link
I complete agree with you all . I work in Chd and i bought a bike and got it registered in Solan itself just to save myself from the hassles of getting it registered in CHD as i had heard it is very painstaking. I have been stopped on numerous ocassions and it is really hard to bargain with them coz they just donot budge from there stand. Once i was driving at 50km/hr i was challened for overspeeding i asked him to show me the speed and he called up the other guy on wireless and according to them my speed came out to be 75 which i had never crossed .. I fought hard so finally they agreed to challan me for not wearing helmet . i mean come on u implicate me for something and then challan me for something else.
Now i make it a point not to go on the main roads and take the interal sector roads just to avoid these ppl
@Vivek
This is completly attrocious!!! I am forwarding all these details to the media to do a story on Himachalis facing problems in Chandigarh. We need to fight this gundagardi of the cops
[...] I kept away from the main roads at Chandigarh, thanks to the over ‘friendly’ Chandigarh cops (more details here) so I was able to enjoy and see the now vibrant Chandigarh city. Sector 22 still retains the old [...]