At least 200 vehicles being ‘wheel-locked’ per day by Vizag police for illegal parking

Traffic police wheel-locking vehicles daily to curb illegal parking, reduce congestion, and promote discipline among motorists in the city.

At least 200 to 250 vehicles were being ‘wheel-locked’ by the traffic police for wrong parking on a daily basis here in the city, as part of a clampdown on illegal parking which is leading to a rise in traffic congestion.

The police had launched the drive on May 25 (Saturday), and in the first two days, locked the wheels of nearly 500 vehicles that were wrongly parked across the city. From Monday, police teams have been booking around 200-250 vehicles for wrong parking. As per the police, most cases of illegal parking are reported from areas like Asilmetta, Siripuram, Ram Nagar, Jagadamba Junction and Dwaraka Nagar.

“If a motorist finds their vehicle wheel locked, they can call the phone number that is visible on a sticker pasted on the lock. A traffic police constable will answer the phone call and come to remove the lock after generating an e-challan. Fines need not be paid on the spot. This is just to ensure that motorists park their vehicles only at designated parking lots or in the cellars of business establishments,” said Additional DCP (Traffic) G. Srinivasa Rao.

“In cases of emergency, such as in the vicinity of hospitals, or in instances where there is no parking space available, police would act with leniency regarding vehicles parked along the roadside. However, if the vehicles are found to be obstructing traffic flow despite parking space being available, the wheels of the vehicle would be locked,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.

The city police have procured around 200 wheel-lock sets for this purpose. He further added that awareness is being raised in this regard so that every establishment mandatorily creates cellar parking for their visitors.

Commissioner of Police A. Ravi Shankar said that the drive is aimed at inculcating discipline among motorists. Motorists should not be inconvenienced due to wrong parking by a few, he said, adding that the drive would continue to be enforced rigorously for a month.