No warning sign, towing of vehicles opposed
Ajay Joshi
Tribune News Services
Jalandhar, May 25
The persistent towing of vehicles by the traffic police has troubled residents in the city.
The irate residents alleged that though their vehicles were parked at appropriate spots, the traffic police had been needlessly towing away them. Around 40-50 four-wheelers are being towed away on a daily basis and a fine of Rs 950 is issued to offenders, said traffic police reader Narinder Singh.
Time and again workers of GN Crane, the company which had been given the contract to tow vehicles parked in no parking zones in the city, who whisk away such vehicles have been annoying owners. On Friday also, high drama was witnessed at the traffic police office when a resident, Amit Bhatia, claimed that his vehicle was towed from a paid parking space near the court complex.
Bhatia said: “I had gone to the court for some work and had parked my vehicle at the parking. However, after I returned, I was told that my car was towed away.” A few more local residents were also complaining that cops were unnecessarily taking away their vehicles.
In addition, the vehicle owners said their vehicles were handled roughly causing damages, which require costly repairs. Ruchi, a resident, whose car was towed away today from near a mall, near Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, said it was the third time when her car was towed away and the adamant workers of the company did not pay heed to their complaints and hand over the vehicle only after paying the hefty fine. She also reported that the traffic police had been seizing their vehicles even from outside their houses.
“In the absence of no-parking boards and signboards, we are confused about where to park our vehicles,” said Ruchi’s husband.
Sehdev Singh, a head constable of the traffic police, said: “Acting against traffic woes in the city, they had been told to regularly tow wrongly parked vehicles.”
Meanwhile, ACP (traffic) Vaibhav Sehgal justified the fine being slapped on vehicles for wrong parking and stated that police personnel on duty must had been towing the vehicles when they were parked at wrong spots. Besides, on being asked about the absence of signboards, he said: “The matter has been conveyed to the Municipal Corporation for installing no-parking boards at major locations and the same will be installed soon.”
No parking boards to be installed soon: Cop
ACP (traffic) Vaibhav Sehgal justified the fine being slapped on vehicles for wrong parking and stated that police personnel on duty must had been towing the vehicles when they were parked at wrong spots. Besides, on being asked about the absence of signboards, he said: “The matter has been conveyed to the MC for installing no parking boards at major locations and the same will be installed soon.”
