Top cop asks NHAI to check illegal parking

Three days after a fatal accident involving an illegally parked vehicle on the NH-8 which claimed ten lives, the city police have asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as well as the expressway operator company to take stern measures to check unauthorised parking on the roadside. Sunil Thapliyal reports.

Three days after a fatal accident involving an illegally parked vehicle on the NH-8 which claimed ten lives, the city police have asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as well as the expressway operator company to take stern measures to check unauthorised parking on the roadside.

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In a meeting of NHAI, expressway operator Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL), the MCG and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) on Friday, the Gurgaon police commissioner KK Sindhu said that the concerned authorities, toll operators, vehicles owners and the construction companies parking vehicles illegally along the NH-8 and expressway will face legal action in the event of an accident.

He called the meeting on Friday to discuss various matters related to traffic and toll management. The city police have also asked these agencies to complete the pending works soon to improve the traffic situation in the city roads including the NH-8.

“We have also asked the Gurgaon expressway authorities to take necessary steps to initiate certain safety measures to avoid such incidents. The move comes in a bid to prevent accidents on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway where visibility drops to minimal during winters, making commuters and pedestrians vulnerable to accidents,” said Bharti Arora, DCP, traffic, Gurgaon.

"Police have also increased patrolling on the NH-8 to avoid such incidents in future. Besides, concerned police stations will have the authority to impound illegally parked vehicles and also take action against the owner of the vehicle as well the construction company," she further added. Meanwhile, the toll operator claims to have increased patrolling on the stretch and they will inform the police if their team spots any vehicle parked illegally. The police have asked the operators to install reflective tapes, cat eyes, electronic signals, fog lights and mark lanes to avoid any mishap.

“As winter is approaching and the number of accidents goes up every year due to fog, we are going to upgrade our services for commuters. There will be traffic reflectors at a gap of every 25 metres. We are also going to install fog lights on all three toll plazas,” said a DGSCL official.