Mumbai : The Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Western Railway (WR) has proved that they have a sense of humour through what might be one of the queerest punishments for miscreants who park their vehicles in the No Parking Zone. To prohibit illegal parking of vehicles which often block the path of railway commuters, RPF are on a spree of deflating the tyres of such vehicles in addition to fining the owners.
The initiative was started from September 15 after several complaints from commuters travelling to Virar station. It was found that several two-wheelers blocked the entry to Virar station on the west side.
An official from RPF explained that initially the vehicle owners were fined Rs 100 for illegal parking of vehicles in the railway premises. However, many a time, the constables could not reach in time and the owner of these vehicles would not be punished. For those who were fined, the amount failed to deter them from repeating the offence and the vehicles would surface again.
But over the past week, the number of vehicles parked outside the station has reduced substantially after RPF constables started deflating the tyres. Now, the person who has parked his vehicle within the station premises is compelled to drag the vehicle to the nearest petrol pump or a mechanic to get the tyre fixed.
Senior Divisional Security Commissioner of WR, Anand Vijay Jha, said: “The move has deterred people and the number of illegally parked vehicles has reduced substantially.”
Iram Siddique
