BENGALURU: When Ramith Jayarajan, a businessman of Cox Town, walked into Koshy’s on St Marks Road for dinner recently, little did he know that it would be a forgettable night.
His four-wheeler, which, he said, was parked in a designated parking area, was towed away by the traffic police. The radiator and a bumper of the vehicle were damaged in the process and their replacement would cost him Rs 20,000.
The towing was recorded by one Karan Edward, a radio presenter and the video went viral.
Negligent towing of vehicles is not uncommon in the city where finding designated parking spaces is next to impossible.
People often find their vehicles missing from where they park. Apart from damage to the vehicles, the absence of a system to alert the owners of the vehicles towed away by the police compounds the matter.
Jayarajan says, “I will have to shell out almost Rs 20,000 now. The radiator costs around Rs 9,000 and the bumper Rs 4,000. (Removal of) the dent on the front right side will cost another Rs 4,000. They handled the vehicle like a junk. The inspector who had to supervise the towing was sitting inside the truck. No information is left after the towing. At night I was left stranded”.
The system here is in stark contrast to the one in developed countries.
“In Japan, they leave a note on the road from where a vehicle is towed away, mentioning the contact numbers and the fine amount. The smart phones the police use can fetch the owner details in minutes. Why is it not used (here)?” he said.
Jayarajan said his vehicle was parked between two boards - one reading ‘parking area’ and the other ‘no parking’. He said the two contradictory boards were put up just a few feet apart.
When Jayarajan went to the Cubbon Park police station to collect his vehicle, its wheel was locked and the key was with an other officer who was not there. He then got in touch with Karan who gave him the video.
When contacted, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Hitendra said, “I can look into the matter and take appropriate action if a complaint is lodged. As for figuring out if their vehicle are towed or stolen, commuters can call the control room or traffic helpline”.
‘They just destroyed someone’s property’
Karan Edward who recorded the video said, “The fact that a parking sign and a no-parking sign are so close made me take the video. In addition, the cop refused to talk to my friend who asked him why they were towing.” “I would’ve hated my car to be treated like that. If anyone has parked wrongly, fine them or clamp the car. They just destroyed someone’s private property,” he said.