No curbs on illegal parking despite clamping drive

Even though the Gurgaon police had initiated a clamping drive against unauthorised parking about a month ago, the situation on the ground still remains grim. Badri Chatterjee reports.

Even though the Gurgaon police had initiated a clamping drive against unauthorised parking about a month ago, the situation on the ground still remains grim.

HT Image

The haphazard parking of vehicles continues to cause traffic congestion on the service lanes outside the malls on MG Road. Illegal parking has become a regular feature in the area. Though the drive was carried out on MG Road for a few days, it was later discontinued.

In its April 10 edition, HT had carried a story ‘Clamping of vehicles introduced in Gurgaon’ wherein it highlighted the campaign initiated by the police.

The authorities had procured 70 clamps for Rs 3,000 each. Nearly 25 cars were clamped since the drive began in front of the DT City Centre Mall.

Ranjant Kumar, whose Jaguar was clamped during the drive, said, “It seemed like a good initiative and I hoped that it would continue every day. However, I haven’t seen a single car being clamped on this unauthorised parking stretch after that. There is no relief to massive traffic snarls on the road, especially during weekends.”

During the drive, the police had stated that a fine of Rs 100 would be imposed on commuters for unauthorised parking, which would be paid at the nearest police post, putting an end to the utilisation of tow-away cranes.

However, the tow-away technique still continues in various parts of Gurgaon, causing damage to vehicles.

Maheswar Dayal, joint commissioner of police, said, “We are not focusing only on one area such as MG Road but the entire city. The drive which took place in April was an experiment. From Monday onwards, clamping will be regularly carried out in various parts of Gurgaon.”