GURUGRAM: Commuters illegally parking their vehicles may soon have to pay higher penalties than the existing fines. Officials of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) said on Friday that they are looking at a possible hike in penalty for violating the rule. Currently, the traffic department imposes the fine for illegal parking while the GMDA provides the tow-trucks for impounding vehicles. The fine paid to the police for illegal parking is Rs 500, and the GMDA charges anywhere between Rs 200 to Rs 2,000 for towing, depending on the size of the vehicle. The Authority wants to increase the charges paid to it by commuters who want their vehicles released. GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal, at the authority’s core planning committee meeting last week, had pointed out that the amount currently charged may be too low to serve as a deterrent to commuters and questioned whether the rates for towing vehicles should be increased. He then directed the authority’s officials to invite DCP (traffic) or the police commissioner for a discussion. On this basis, DCP (traffic) Virender Singh Sangwan attended the CPC meeting this week. “Now, the CEO has asked the police department to look into the matter, considering what is the capacity of the people to pay, and the right price point that will deter commuters from violating rules,” a senior GMDA official said on Friday. “The comments of the commissioner of police in writing have now been sought on the subject through the DCP, and the matter will be taken further once these are received,” he added. Last year, the authority generated a revenue of around Rs 1 crore in towing fees, according to GMDA officials. Most vehicles, they said, are towed from outside public offices, including the GMDA and MCG offices, apart from hospitals like Medanta-The Medicity, which see a high footfall. Residents said that the authorities are only skimming the surface. “A big reason why people park wrongly is that there is not enough authorised parking space in the city. If authorities provide enough spaces for this, why will anyone take a chance and park where it is not permitted? Instead of penalising, agencies must look at what is causing the issue, and act in this regard,” said Ritika Khanna, a resident of Sector 54.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/parking-on-roads-in-gurugram-you-may-have-to-cough-up-higher-fine/articleshow/95021585.cms