Clamping and towing of vehicles parked illegally will give way to e-challans as traffic guards in central Kolkata start adopting it as a more effective way to deal with the menace.
The officers-in-charge (OCs) of all central Kolkata traffic guards are asking their colleagues to use e-challan that will ensure instant messaging to inform the car owner that he has been fined.
This method, claim cops, has been more effective across Jorabagan, Burrabazar, Dalhousie and Park Street in removing the cars parked illegally on the road faster than traditional clamping that does little to help circulation. Towing leads to the damages of cars.
The traffic police have devised a plan during Kali and Jagatdhatri immersions and Chhath when illegal parking often poses a challenge.
“We will first issue an e-challan. We will wait for some time for the owner to respond after the SMS reaches for the car to be removed from the spot. If the owner fails to turn up, we will proceed with clamping and towing. This is not only beneficial for the owner, who does not have to run to the guards, but also saves our time and manpower,” said an officer.
The local traffic guards — especially those handling the festive crowd — have already reworked on the specific zones where vehicles will be clamped in the run up to the festive season.
These areas are marked with white boards where the word “Clamping Zone” written on them along with no-parking signs.
“These boards are being put up so that motorists know exactly why their vehicles can get towed. We often get the complaint that there were not enough sign boards to mark an area as no-parking zone and the car owners blame us when their vehicles get towed. This is going to stop now. Additionally, these boards will also help in cautioning the public that this area witnesses dense traffic and that they need to be careful. Though each traffic board serves a different purpose, the general person treats each board as an indicator of our presence on the road,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
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