Parking illegally? Brace to spend a day in court

In a bid to curb illegal parking in the city, the Mumbai Police has decided to book violators under section 283 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for causing “danger

In a bid to curb illegal parking in the city, the Mumbai Police has decided to book violators under section 283 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for causing “danger or obstruction in a public way”.

HT Image

As a penalty for the offence, the accused will be arrested and convicted by the court – a process that could take an entire day. The violators could be owners of four-wheelers, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and even pushcarts.

Data sourced from Mumbai Police revealed that a total of 2,172 first information reports (FIRs) were registered against violators in connection with illegal parking in 2019, whereas 226 FIRs have been registered in 2020 till date across Mumbai.

“The issuance of e-challans was not that effective, so we have now become more stringent in the provisions of law to control the menace of illegal parking,” said a senior officer of the Mumbai Police.

The officer added that motorable space on many arterial roads in the city has shrunk by barricades due to the ongoing Metro construction work. Illegal parking aggravates the snarls, especially during the morning and evening peak hours.

Amidst the growing dearth of parking space, motorists opt to park illegally, often blocking pedestrian walkways and in some cases, also leads to accidents.

Speaking with HT, Vinoy Kumar Choubey, joint commissioner of police (law and order), said, “To combat the adverse effect of illegal parking on the flow of traffic in the city, the drive under section 283 of the Indian Penal Code has been intensified. While issuing e-challans does prove useful, the registration of FIRs against the violators works as a greater deterrent. To avoid elaborate legal procedures, the motorists are gradually falling in line to abide by traffic rules.”

According to Mumbai Police data, the central region of Mumbai, covering the stretch between Nagpada and Kurla, is worst affected by illegal parking. Last year, a total of 641 FIRs were registered in connection with the same in this region. Of these, 632 cases were detected by the Mumbai Police.

The police generally get a call from the control room regarding traffic snarls or the patrolling officers find vehicles obstructing traffic. “We immediately reach the spot and haul the driver to the police station for illegal parking. We book the driver under section 283 of the IPC and then he is produced before the court, where if he pleads guilty, he is slapped with a fine as per the rules,” said Ankit Goyal, deputy commissioner of police, zone 10.

“If the driver is not caught at the spot for illegal parking, we take a photo of the vehicle, register the case and a copy of the FIR is submitted in court. The owner of the vehicle is summoned by the court, questioned and then slapped with a fine. The whole process consumes his/her full day,” Goyal said.