As festive fervour grips the city, Delhi Traffic Police (DTP) has intensified the drive against illegal parking. Anticipating a huge rush of private cars owing to the festive season, 100 cranes will be available to tow away illegally parked vehicles.
To ensure that traffic discharge is smooth, a stiff penalty of Rs 800 will slapped on motorists parking their vehicles illegally on roads, blocking main carriageways. Additional Traffic Police personnel will be deployed to manage festive rush.
Special attention will be given to the big markets in Delhi, which attract huge crowds of festive shoppers. The Traffic Police along with local police will thoroughly comb parking lots in Delhi, especially those in marketplaces. The authorities will focus more on big markets such as Karol Bagh and Paharganj in central Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Jwala Hedi in west Delhi, lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Greater Kailash-I.
“It is observed that ahead of festivals like Diwali, the markets attract a lot of vehicular crowd. More and more people are out in their private vehicles to shop for and distribute gifts. Additional deployment of personnel till late evening hours will ensure that traffic movement is unhindered and carriageways are free of encroachers,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Anil Shukla.
To discourage the trend of illegal parking, police will slap multiple sections of the Motor Vehicles Act leading to a stiffer penalty of Rs 600 and Rs 200 as towaway charges for vehicles. Since Delhiites are in the habit of drinking and driving in high spirits during the festive season, the number of pickets will be increased to 80 to prosecute violators.
At present, the number of pickets is 50. The stiff drive launched to catch drunk drivers will continue till New Year. “Traffic Police personnel will be deployed till midnight to catch offenders,” added Shukla. Till now, around 20,000 people have been prosecuted for driving under the influence of alcohol.