A sudden fire outside Phase-8 Police Station, Mohali, gutted nine case-property vehicles, once again exposing the chronic problem of unclaimed and seized vehicles choking police station premises across Punjab.
Fire officer Suresh Kumar said, “About 11.35 am, the control room received a call about vehicles on fire in the open yard opposite Phase-8 police station. Two fire tenders rushed to the spot and controlled the blaze within 30 minutes, but by then eight to nine vehicles were completely destroyed.”
Preliminary inquiry indicates that road repair and welding work nearby may have triggered the fire, with a stray spark igniting fire in dry bushes.
These vehicles were case properties, damaged in accidents or seized in criminal investigations kept for years pending court trials. A similar incident had earlier been reported outside Balongi police station.
Growing mountain of case property
Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh has repeatedly flagged the issue in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. “Hundreds of vehicles lie unclaimed for years, deteriorating and blocking police premises. They must be auctioned to free space and generate revenue for the state.”
Current law requires police to keep such vehicles until trials conclude or courts permit disposal, resulting in decades-long pile-ups. Responding to public interest litigation, the Punjab and Haryana High Court in May 2025 directed the DGP to dispose of unclaimed vehicles within 90 days, following Supreme Court guidelines to prevent waste and environmental hazards.
Call for multi-level parking
Highlighting the danger, N S Kalsi, chairperson of HM House Welfare Association (Phase-4), has written to the Deputy Commissioner: “Over 400 seized or accident vehicles are dumped on the PWD nursery road and footpaths near Phase-1 station. Many are rusting skeletons, breeding mosquitoes and pests. Government must acquire at least one acre of land to create multi-level parking, allotting separate floors to each police station and auctioning unserviceable vehicles.”
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Kalsi urged the DC to personally inspect stations and ensure immediate action so that “footpaths can be cleared and valuable case records maintained properly”.
Wider civic concerns
Kulwant Singh has also criticised GMADA for failing to curb illegal roadside parking that chokes hospital approach roads, saying, “Even after the Chief Minister’s instructions, no ground-level action is visible.”
The Phase-8 fire underscores the urgency without streamlined disposal and designated parking, Punjab’s police stations remain vulnerable to both environmental hazards and safety risks.
