The administration on Thursday gave a 48-hour ultimatum to owners to remove vehicles across the 5km stretch of NH-33 in Mango, citing that the illegal parking was affecting highway widening work.

“Acting on the directive of Jharkhand High Court, we issued a directive to the district transport officer and Mango Notified Area Committee for issuing notices today to all owners whose vehicles are found parked for a long time between Pardih and Dimna roundabouts along the NH-33 to remove their vehicles within 48 hours,” said SDO Dhalbhum Chandan Kumar.

The notices have been issued under Section 133 of the CrPC (removal of public nuisance).

Operators have to remove their vehicles from the NH-33 stretch within 48 hours or present their stand before Dhalbhum SDO in the stipulated time period. “If they do not remove their vehicles or clarify their position before us within 48 hours of receipt of the notice, we will tow away their vehicles from the spot and charge the vehicle owner the amount incurred in towing and the stipulated fine under Motor Vehicles Act,” the SDO said.

The fine for illegal parking of heavy vehicles is Rs 5,000.

The step was necessitated after the high court had in November last year observed several broken-down vehicles and heavy vehicles parked along NH-33 between Pardih Chowk and Dimna Chowk which needed to be removed by the district administration to vacate the site for NH widening work. Ahmedabad-based contractor M/s Iron Triangle, which widening this NH-33 stretch, has been facing problems in construction due to illegal parking.

Mango Notified Area Committee (MNAC) special officer, Deepak Sahay said notices had been distributed to nearly 100 transporters as per the SDO’s order.

Scooterist killed

A trailer parked on an unlit stretch of the Tata-Kandra Road near the steel city turned fatal for a 45-year-old trader, Pawan Gupta, late on Wednesday night.

Kandra resident Gupta, who was riding a scooter to Adityapur for a family emergency around 10pm, rammed into the trailer on Tata-Kandra road near Kandra toll plaza in Seraikela-Kharsawan district, some 20km from the heart of the city. Eye-witnesses said he could not see the parked trailer in the dark. Rushed to Tata Main Hospital, he succumbed within an hour.

The trailer was parked barely 100 metres from the toll plaza. The driver did not leave tail-lights on. Police however also blamed Gupta for speeding without a helmet.