Wrong parking: Wheel clamps no deterrent

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 23

The UT traffic police seem to be losing interest in using wheel clamps for challaning those parking their vehicles at undesignated places.

Seven months after wheel clamps were introduced to challan wrongly parked cars in the city, the number of challans per month has almost halved. While over 1,500 challans were issued using clamps in the first two months alone, around 800 challans were handed over in the next five.

Either the police had been very successful in their drive as people stopped parking cars at undesignated areas fearing clamps or the wheel clamps have failed to deter them following which cops have not been using these as much. The latter seems more appropriate as wrongly parked cars can be seen at various spots in the city.

Officiating SSP Guriqbal Gill refused to comment on the matter saying that he did not have knowledge of the data while Deputy Superintendent of Police Yashpal Sharma said he was not authorised to make any statement.

The road outside GGDSD College, Sector 32, and road berms in Sector 17 on the road separating the Sectors 9 and 17 are among the places where cops had used wheel clamps. However, cars can still be seen parked at these spots. 

The Chandigarh traffic police had bought 100 clamps and had started using them in February this year. Two clamps are used for each car. Senior Superintendent of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill had said they would buy more such clamps if the system turned out to be a success. 

However, the number of clamps remains the same till date.