Saturday, Jan 10, 2004
Saturday, Jan 10, 2004 |
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Bangalore
CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN the public and police over towing away of vehicles are common in Bangalore, and the highest number of traffic-related cases pertain to parking of vehicles. Today, the parking problem is not limited to the busy central and business areas of the city but occurs in residential localities because of the increase in the number of vehicles. Many residential areas in the city are old revenue areas with narrow roads. Vehicles, mainly two-wheelers, which are parked in front of the houses, are often taken away by the traffic police as they hinder movement of other vehicles. But, many areas lack "no parking" signboards. However, no one seems to have a solution to the problem, which is worsening. The traffic police often come under attack from different quarters for towing away vehicles "for no reason". A software engineer, who left his motorcycle in a parking lot in Gandhi Bazaar managed by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) contractor, was issued a receipt by the parking lot attendant. But when he returned after an hour, he did not find his vehicle. Inquiries revealed that his motorcycle had been taken away by the traffic police. Police told him that they had taken away the vehicle as it was parked in a no-parking zone. When he showed them the receipt issued by the BMP contractor, police said that he had parked his vehicle in the wrong manner in the permitted area. Many people have a similar experience to narrate. An allegation against the police is that they tow away vehicles to make a fast buck or to achieve a target. The traffic police are also accused of not taking care to avoid damage to vehicles that they tow away. If vehicles suffer damage, police do not pay compensation. There is no system to inform the owners of vehicles towed away. "I was not aware whether police had taken away my vehicle or someone had stolen it," says a journalist who found his vehicle with police in Jayanagar. On the other hand, though there are certain rules on parking a vehicle in a parking lot, mainly the ban on double or parallel parking, people are not aware of them. The lack of awareness is a cause of public-police confrontation. Senior police officers maintain that people take offence when they are asked to remove their vehicles, or vehicles are towed away by police for traffic violations. "People come out with various explanations on such occasions and make false allegations against us," officers say. "Everyone wants parking space near their place of work or business. If no parking place is available nearby, they park vehicles in prohibited areas," the police maintain. People should park their vehicles in the permitted area though it may be a little away from their offices. This is the practice in all major cities all over the world, senior officers observe. About the damage caused to vehicles during towing, police say there is no provision for paying compensation, and they take steps to avoid damage.
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