Traffic police to tow away cars parked for over 48 hours

Your parking slip will now come with an expiry date — 48 hours.

Your parking slip will now come with an expiry date — 48 hours.

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The Delhi traffic police have decided to tow away cars parked for more than 48 hours in order to not allow car owners/drivers to occupy space at the cost of others.

"We will issue an order to road-owning agencies to inform us through parking contractors about cars parked for more than 48 hours. Such cars will be towed away," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The traffic police will also ask the agencies to redevelop the authorised parking lots. This move, they said, would ensure congestion on roads is reduced and better parking facilities.

The traffic police have already taken up the matter with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation and decided to demarcate each parking lot with thermoplastic paint so that cars parked outside the demarcated area are towed away.

"We will take up the plan with other agencies so that all authorised parking lots in the city are demarcated," said Garg.

The plan includes ticketing through hand-held electronic devices, putting a display board with parking fare, name and contact details of the contractor and parking attendants in uniform.

"To start with, the parking at Gandhi Nagar Pushta road has been taken up as the pilot project," said Garg. Following this, other authorised parking lots in the city will be redeveloped on the same lines, he added. Delhi has 255 parking lots.

The decision has been taken to counter the ongoing practice of parking outside the parking areas, sometimes in connivance with contractors.

KK Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation, said: "As per international standards, all parking lots should be demarcated and have proper signages for motorists’ convenience. This move is bound to significantly reduce parking woes."