Open security gates: safety headache for SAS Nagar

Residents of SAS Nagar are feeling insecure as 69 security gates in the town, which remain open at night, are still without security guards for more than a year.

Residents of SAS Nagar are feeling insecure as 69 security gates in the town, which remain open at night, are still without security guards for more than a year.

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In February 2013, the municipal corporation (MC) of SAS Nagar terminated a contract with Selvel Media Services Limited, a company that was entrusted with the task of manning the gates stating that guards were not deployed at all gates. Later, the company challenged the termination in the Punjab and Haryana high court, which further directed the MC to solve the matter amicably within 15 days.

Secretary of Residents' Welfare Association, Phase 2, said, "Guards should be deployed at the gates to ensure security of city residents.The gates, installed by MC, are useless without security guards."

President of Residents' Welfare Society, Phase 7, Jasbir Singh said, "It seems that the authorities concerned are not serious about the security of residents. We have appointed a chowkidar from past five months with the consent of all the residents of the society. No one has contacted us for the deployment of security guards on the gates."

MC, in the wake of incidents of vehicle lifting in 2009, had decided to install security gates at all entry and exit points in various residential areas. It was decided that the gates would be manned by security guards round the clock and would be closed at night.

The move of deploying security guards had drawn flak due to regular arguments security guards had with the locals. A guard was even murdered by some inebriated youths after he allegedly had refused to open the gate in Phase 3B2 in 2011.