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In 4 days, 200 vehicles towed away from no parking zones in Lucknow
Motorists say not enough space near no parking zones; JCP refutes claim sayingcity has 11 no parking zones but space for vehicles is available beyond these
LUCKNOW With around 200 vehicles towed away from ‘no parking zones’ and over 1,500 challaned for wrong parking in the last four days, motorists in commercial hubs of Lucknow are in a fix over where to park their vehicles. Those paying fines are accusing authorities of not providing ample parking facilities in the vicinity of ‘no-parking zones’, a claim refuted by officials.
“I parked my car in front of the BJP office and it was towed away. Can anyone tell me where I should have parked my vehicle,” asked RK Singh, a resident of Alambagh whose vehicle was towed away for wrong parking.
In case a vehicle is towed away from a ‘no-parking zone’, the fine would be ₹1100 for a four-wheeler, ₹800 for a three-wheeler and ₹700 for a two-wheeler.
However, JCP (law and order) Upendra Agarwal said, “Everyone wants to park their car in front of a shop or place where they have work. Hazratganj has two underground parking lots, but most of the people keep their cars in front of shops. Those parking their vehicles in front of Vidhan Bhavan and BJP office can go to Jhandi Park, which is only 200 metres away.”
“The city has 11 ‘no parking zones’, which are not more than 400 metres at a stretch. Parking space is available beyond these zones,” he added.
He said, “Many people have the VVIP syndrome and violate ‘no parking zones’ because they don’t want to walk a bit. If we don’t tow away vehicles causing road congestion, the same people start slamming us for not doing anything.”
The officer said parking spaces are created at select places, not at every doorstep, so people should adhere to parking norms or get ready to pay fine.
Municipal commissioner Inderjeet Singh said, “Vehicles are being towed away by cranes of the police. The LMC has nothing to do with the current drive. The municipal corporation has 19 parking lots in the city, of which 10 are underground.”
