District Magistrate Gulpreet Singh Aulakh, exercising powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, has prohibited any person from installing advertisements or hoardings on government buildings, private buildings, national highways, link roads, or trees without the permission of the concerned departments and owners. The order notes that such advertisements and hoardings distract road users and pose a risk of accidents; consequently, this order has been issued and will remain in effect until September 4, 2026.
**Total Ban on Blocking Roads and Intersections in the District**
Exercising powers under Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, the District Magistrate has issued an order imposing a complete ban on any union or organization blocking traffic on roads or intersections within the district. The order highlights that road blockades on main routes during protests or demonstrations by various organizations and unions cause significant hardship to commuters traveling between Chandigarh, Jalandhar, and Amritsar. The prohibitory order was issued in view of the inconvenience caused to patients and their families when ambulances carrying patients in critical condition are unable to find a way through during such blockades.
The District Magistrate stated that specific sites have been identified across the district’s three subdivisions for holding protests, and no organization or union may stage a protest at these locations without prior permission from the local administration. The identified sites include: the Dussehra Ground in Nawanshahr subdivision; an area of approximately 40 kanals near the railway crossing on Banga Road, Nawanshahr (falling under the jurisdiction of the Nawanshahr Municipal Council and the village of Gujarpur Kalan); the Panchayat area of Gram Panchayat Punia in Banga subdivision; and the Municipal playground (near the Civil Hospital) on Jagatpur Road, Siyana, in Balachaur subdivision. For the designated locations, it is mandatory to obtain permission for the use of loudspeakers from the concerned SDM after securing the initial authorization.
According to the orders, any form of protest or obstruction of traffic is prohibited at Chandigarh Chowk, Bus Stand Chowk, and Nehru Gate in Nawanshahr. Additionally, a complete ban has been imposed on any activities, protests, or the use of loudspeakers within the district’s Tehsil, SDM, and DAC complexes. According to the District Magistrate, sit-ins or protests are prohibited at any location or road other than those specified above, and strict action will be taken against violators. These orders will remain in effect until September 4, 2026.
