Dude, where's my car?

Bandra, ‘the queen of the suburbs’, tops the traffic police list of parking violations with more than 33,000 vehicles towed away in 2012, which is lower than the 2011 number of 40,000.

DN Nagar traffic division in Andheri (west) stood second in the list with more than 30,082 vehicles towed away. Kandivli was third with 21,549 while Byculla was bottom of the with 1,338 vehicles. Citing the reasons for Bandra’s not being able to provide space to park vehicles, local residents say Bandra at one time had huge and beautiful cottages/ bungalows built by the Portuguese and the British.

But in the last decade with a sudden rise in cost of land in Mumbai, the cottages/bungalows have given way to to skyscrapers and multi-storied towers and this had cut into parking space too.

Another factor is that most Bollywood celebrities, politicians and the rich live in the Bandra-Khar area with almost every family owning more than two to three cars. Most societies provide parking space for only one car and that means the second and third cars end up parked on the streets. If the traffic police finds a car parked on the streets, obstructing the flow of traffic, the car is towed. Yet another reasons is that visitors to Bandra are not aware of the parking shifts in the area which is based on odd/even dates in the Bandra –Khar area.

Madhu Popalai, secretary of the Pali Hill Residents Association, says, “It is a well oiled racket of towing away the vehicles by the traffic police and towing van employees with the help of roadside paanwalas, tea stall owners and small shopkeepers of Bandra and Khar.

As soon as you park your car on the roadside, these people inform the traffic police or towing vehicle employees and within a few minutes they reach the spot. The informants are paid for information by the traffic cops.” Pratap Dighavkar, deputy commissioner of police (western suburb), of the Mumbai Traffic police refuted the allegation. “People from across the city visit Bandra and Khar and they park their cars on the road which paralyses smooth flow of traffic almost every day. The traffic police have to tow away the parked vehicle to clear traffic jams,” says Dighavkar.

In the eastern suburb – Chembur topped the list with 11,326 vehicles towed away. Mulund (6,909), Ghatkopar (4,232), Trombay (4,159) and Vikroli (3,757) were the other rank-holders.

In South suburbs, Tardeo had the highest with more than 17,000 vehicles towed away.