In a major crackdown on illegal parking on city streets, the Mumbai Traffic Police has begun a Towing-and-Clamping campaign. They will be towing vehicles and clamping them as much as possible as a deterrent for violators. Moreover, a central squad has been formed by the MTP, which will be given at least 250 clamps and one towing van.
According to a senior traffic official, the central squad was formulated with an intent to be able to operate without any barriers of jurisdiction and initiate a crackdown on illegal parking. There are a total of 34 traffic chowkis in Mumbai. Each of them has been given 100 clamps to take action on the violators.
"It was largely observed that, since the onset of festive and shopping season, a number of people are stepping out for shopping in their vehicles. If the civic authority's Pay-and-Park lots are not nearby or full, they simply park on the roads, leading to congestion. The crackdown has been started so that it acts as a deterrent to the violator," said the official.
Yashasvi Yadav, joint commissioner of police (traffic) said, "Since the lockdown has been relaxed, the number of vehicles on city roads has substantially increased. Not enough parking space is available. This resulted in major parking violations. Now, we are simply trying to clear the roads of illegal parking and wipe out congestion."
The central squad will be equipped with 250 clamps and one towing van, which has been instructed to use all the clamps in a day. Earlier, only 30 to 40 clamps were used in a day. The squad will have a sub-inspector and 24 constables, along with 10 e-challan machines, two video recorders and four body cameras.
