Pune: The traffic police have stopped towing vehicles in no-parking zones after the contract with a company assigned by the govt to assist traffic department lapsed on Nov 29.This has an impact on traffic flow as illegally parked vehicles are causing traffic jams on prime roads, especially Pune-Satara Road, FC Road, JM Road, the congested Swargate junction and roads in the old parts of the city like Shivaji, Laxmi, Kumthekar and Bajirao Roads.Additional commissioner of police Manoj Patil told TOI, “The contract has lapsed. We have stopped towing the vehicles that are parked in the no-parking areas on the road.” Patil said, “Our teams are taking photographs of the vehicles parked in the no-parking zones on the road. We are generating online challans. This method has limitations because we cannot move the vehicles out of the no-parking zones.”Usually, the city traffic police pick up two-wheelers or tow the four-wheelers that are parked illegally in the no-parking zones on the roads and/or violate the P1 or P2 zones regulations. “Without a contract, the towing vans cannot operate, and it becomes illegal to tow or pick up vehicles from the no-parking zones,” Patil said.“We prepared and sent the documents to the state home department for renewal of the contract. It is still with the home department,” he said.A senior police officer said, “The city traffic on behalf of the state govt has sent the contract for authorisation. The contract cannot be renewed until the elections are over due to the code of conduct. We will have to wait till Jan end.”The traffic police and Pune Municipal Corporation, however, have incorporated several measures to ensure smooth traffic flow across the city. These measures include deployment of AI-powered CCTV cameras to mark violators, fining illegal parking and illegal driving habits.Recently, authorities installed several AI-based CCTV cameras on FC Road and around Lohegaon Airport.
