New Delhi: More than 1.63 lakh vehicles were prosecuted for unauthorised parking and 15,926 vehicles were towed away by traffic cranes in the posh areas of south Delhi in the first three months of 2021, the traffic police said on Sunday. As any as 61,832 e-challans for improper parking were issued on the spot, while 1,02,127 notices were issued via the VOCA (violation on camera application) through mobile application to the registered owners of the vehicles found parked improperly, an official said. A total of 15,926 vehicles were towed away by traffic cranes due to unauthorised parking from January 1 to March 31 from the traffic polices southern range, which includes the posh areas of Defence Colony, R K Puram, Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Saket, Lajpat Nagar and Vasant Vihar. Traffic police data showed that 2,976 vehicles were towed from Greater Kailash, followed by 1,872 vehicles from Saket, 1,861 from R K Puram and 1,633 vehicles from Hauz Khas. "Maximum prosecutions are done in Greater Kailash because of crowded markets of M block and N bloc," am official said. "In Saket, there are malls, Metro station and then a narrow road that leads to Max Hospital. So, a lot of prosecution happens there to keep the road clear," the official said. "R K Puram circle also witnesses heavy rush due to hospitals and market places like Sarojini." The maximum spot e-challans for improper or unauthorised parking in the last three months were issued in Saket for 8,800 vehicles, followed by Kalkaji with 7,291 vehicles, R K Puram with 6,389 vehicles and Sangam Vihar with 5,721 vehicles, according to data. Another set of fines issued via mobile application saw the Mehrauli traffic circle prosecuting maximum number of 12,822 vehicles, followed by 12,553 in R K Puram, 12,174 in Hauz Khas and 11,240 in Defence Colony. "We have to discourage people from using personal vehicles for every activity and persuade them to use authorised parking space to park their vehicle there," Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic - Southern Range) S D Mishra said. "There are a number of authorised parking facilities available like the multi-storey parking near Yusuf Sarai market, but somehow people are reluctant to park their vehicles there," Mishra said. "We are persuading people and encouraging more and more usage of multi-level parking." In Lajpat Nagar, 801 vehicles were towed away and 7,708 vehicles were prosecuted via mobile application and 3,496 vehicles were fined on spot for unauthorised parking, according to the data.

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