GMDA doubles towing charges on illegally parked vehicles

PC Meena, chief executive officer of GMDA, said the increase in towing charges has been effected on the recommendation of the traffic police

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has revised the towing charges for vehicles parked illegally in the city, and has doubled them for commercial vehicles and light vehicles (four-wheelers), said officials in the know of the matter, adding that the revised rates will come into effect from Thursday (October 26).

While towing charges are levied by GMDA, the fine for wrong parking is levied by traffic police. (HT Photo)

In the revised slab, the towing charges for heavy and medium vehicles, including all commercial vehicles will be ₹2,000, while it will be ₹1,000 for light vehicles (four-wheelers) and ₹500 for two-wheelers. These costs have been revised after a period of five years, said GMDA officials.

Earlier, the towing charges were ₹1,000 heavy and medium vehicles, including all commercial vehicles, ₹500 for light vehicles (four-wheelers) and ₹200 for two-wheelers, said GMDA officials.

While the towing charges are levied by GMDA, the fine for wrong parking is levied by the Gurugram traffic police.

Unregulated parking along roads, near markets and other institutions is a major problem across the city as residents often encroach upon the roads near residential areas for parking vehicles. This leads to congestion as well as conflicts over space, said officials.

“Wrong parking along the road is a leading cause of traffic jams and roadblocks. No parking signs have also been installed at various locations where parking of vehicles is not permissible,” he said.

Presently, GMDA provides towing/hauling vehicles that are equipped with GPS and cranes of different capacities to the traffic police for towing away vehicles parked in ‘no parking’ zones.

Meena said they want to appeal to residents to park their vehicles in designated spots and lots in the city to support better traffic management.

RD Singhal, chief general manager, mobility division, GMDA, said many a time, wrongly parked vehicles result in snarls and pose a hindrance to smooth traffic movement. “The tow-away charges have been revised by GMDA to deter citizens from parking their vehicles in ‘no parking areas’ and to encourage safe driving practices,” he said.

Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said that they have conducted several drives throughout the year to deter illegal parking and have penalised over 3,000 persons. “For a first time offence, the penalty is ₹500 and it doubles for a second offence. Our teams are deployed at all major locations to keep a check on illegal parking but people still park any which place and are ready to pay the fine,” he said.

“Illegal parking not only disrupts mobility in the city, but also is a significant threat to road safety. GMDA's decision to increase fines for illegal parking is a positive step in the right direction, with significant benefits expected to arise from its efficient implementation,” said Sarika Panda Bhatt, founder trustee of the Raahgiri Foundation.

On October 18, GMDA said on-street parking will no longer be free in the city and they are planning to launch a pilot project to start charging people for leaving their two-wheelers and four-wheelers on the roadside.