A right to information (RTI) application by activist Chetan Kothari revealed that the number of parking offences jumped from 36,206 in 2005 to 3,22,932 in 2009.
Mumbai has already been labelled one of the dirtiest cities in the country. And if statistics have it right, the city will soon rank among the most undisciplined when it comes to traffic rules.
The official figures say that the city has seen a nine-fold increase in parking offences in the past five years. A right to information (RTI) application by activist Chetan Kothari revealed that the number of parking offences jumped from 36,206 in 2005 to 3,22,932 in 2009.
The fine collected, too, has increased nine times. In 2005, the traffic authorities charged offenders Rs35,67,500 for illegal parking. The amount shot up to Rs3,22,96,200 in 2009. Ditto with towing charges — Rs53,37,300 in 2005 and Rs4,87,55,250 last year.
The first drastic jump was witnessed in 2006 — the year in which the traffic department got cracking with its drunken driving and speed driving campaigns. However, the jump was seen in the March 2006 figures, before the campaigns were officially launched.
“The huge jump is an indication of the manifold increase in the number of vehicles on city roads, along with the lack of awareness and indiscipline among the motorists,” Sanjay Barve, joint traffic commissioner, said.
He ruled out the lack of parking space in the city as the reason for the steep rise in the number of offences. “The BMC has built quite a few parking lots,” Barve said. “People can park their cars there, but they will not. There are boards by the roadside indicating no parking areas, but people inevitably park in those places. And they argue with traffic cops when they are fined.”
“It is a disturbing trend. Something needs to be done to educate the offenders. Traffic situation is bad in the city, and people should try to follow the rules,” Kothari said.
Nitin Dossa, executive chairman, Western Indian Automobile Association, did not agree that Mumbaikars are lacking in traffic discipline. “The number of cars in the city has increased many times. That is the root cause,” he said. He also hinted that occasionally the traffic cops become over zealous, and book motorists for minor offences.
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