On first day, LG's parking & pillion ban breached

Tuesday, Sep 21, 2010



A day after a meeting chaired by the lieutenant-governor, Tejendra Khanna, asked Delhi Police to ban parking within 100 metres of 470 sites identified as sensitive and not allow bikers with pillion riders in these areas, there was neither any notification, nor any action on the ground. Delhi Police said a notification was underway.

"The notification is ready and will be sent to all authorities concerned early on Tuesday. We respect the decisions taken at the meeting and we will do everything to implement them,'' said Bhagat. Delhi Police said they have also asked the management at these places to install CCTVs since they are high on the list of terror targets.

However, when Times City visited 10 spots mentioned in the list, the enormity of the task at hand became evident. At Turkman Gate, a PCR had asked drivers to move away their vehicles but they only managed to clear the front portion. Cars and three-wheelers remained parked on the adjacent roads, barely 20 metres from the spot.

At India Gate, policemen feigned ignorance. "We have not received any intimation about parking so far. We are on alert but would have preferred to have a metal detector,'' said a cop standing among parked cars, barely 80 metres from the monument.

At Safdargunj Tomb, no cops were present at the entrance. A lone traffic constable had no idea about the curbs imposed even as a staffer explained that parking was "official'' and that the police action of stopping parking within 100 metres of the monument was only for "illegal parking.'' A senior police officer explained that no such "distinctions'' will be made because this was a security issue.

Though bikers with pillion riders kept zipping past, the cops hardly reacted. Said a cop near Jantar Mantar (where parking was as rampant as at any place else): "It is impossible to stop someone who is moving in these places on a genuine purpose. We are, however, keeping a sharp eye for any suspicious character on two-wheelers.''

The worst-affected area, perhaps, was Connaught Place where cars were parked at almost every available spot. "We are shocked that there are PCRs only for the inner circle. We read in the papers that parking will not be allowed in the vicinity and hence opted for the Metro. Yet here, we find unrestricted parking,'' said Snigdha Gulati from the Punjabi Bagh area. The police said all necessary action to restrict parking will be taken from Tuesday when the notification is issued.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/On-first-day-LGs-parking-pillion-ban-breached/articleshow/6595437.cms#ixzz108c4MSiJ