Bengaluru: Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Saturday said that there were no plans now to implement the suspended vehicle towing policy in Bengaluru. The minister’s statement comes after Bengaluru police commissioner Pratap Reddy said that a meeting will be held with the state government regarding resumption of towing vehicles parked in no-parking zones.
“As of now there is no proposal before the government to re-enforce the towing system,” Jnanedra said in a statement released to the media. “A detailed discussion will be held and expert advice will be sought to implement a public-friendly and smooth parking system in Bengaluru. The chief minister also discussed this and clarified that there is no final decision regarding the resumption,” the release said. “The towing system was suspended in the wake of public outcry and complaints of harassment from the public. The old system will not be re-enforced.”
On February 3, Jnanendra had said that the towing of vehicles parked in non-designated areas has been stopped until a new guideline for its enforcement method is framed.
The suspension of towing was a fallout of a Bengaluru traffic police official physically and verbally assaulting a differently-abled woman over towing. A video of assistant sub-inspector Narayana went viral on social media, adding to the growing outrage against law enforcement officials in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka.
The woman had pelted a stone at the police on January 24, which had caused minor injuries to the official. She had protested the towing of vehicles in Bengaluru, which has added to friction between the public and the police in recent times. In retaliation, the official pushed her to the road, repeatedly kicked her and used foul language, which has not gone down well with the public.
{{/usCountry}}The woman had pelted a stone at the police on January 24, which had caused minor injuries to the official. She had protested the towing of vehicles in Bengaluru, which has added to friction between the public and the police in recent times. In retaliation, the official pushed her to the road, repeatedly kicked her and used foul language, which has not gone down well with the public.
{{/usCountry}}Apart from this incident, there have several complaints of the private contractors employed by Bengaluru police seeking bribes to release vehicles and misbehaving with the drivers.
In 2016, the towing charges for two-wheelers were been increased from ₹200 to ₹650, and for four-wheelers from ₹300 to ₹1,000. For medium and heavy transport vehicles, it has gone up from ₹400 to ₹1,250 and ₹500 to ₹1,500 respectively. This is apart from the fines for illegal parking.
A senior traffic official said that the suspension of the towing services had resulted in increasing violations in the city. “Illegal parking has been a problem in the city for a long time, which results in traffic pile-ups in many parts. The combination of fine and towing charges was a deterrent for violators, but it has changed since towing has been suspended,” he said.