TimesView Traffic drive outside the mall is failing not only because people are not following norms, but also because of the lack of will on the part of the police. The high turnout in the area demands deployment of more cops to manage traffic and cranes to tow vehicles parked in no parking zones. The drive needs to be carried with consistency and effectiveness, otherwise it will prove to a futile exercise as witnessed on two consecutive Sundays LUCKNOW: Just like the one organised last weekend, traffic police’s efforts to free up roads outside a mall in Gomtinagar proved to be a dud as vehicle owners continued to park cars on the stretch, even as illegally parked four-wheelers were towed away on Sunday.TOI found that car owners continued to park their vehicles outside the mall despite the crackdown. While there were no policemen present to pull up the car owners, only a a crane was spotted towing away these vehicles. The absence of policemen gave commuters the freedom to park anywhere.The traffic police department had launched a similar drive last Sunday as well. Like this week, the drive had failed to rein in commuters from haphazardly parking their vehicles. Police issued 50 challans and collected Rs 50,000 in fee during the seven-hour drive, which started at 11am.Police said the drive was launched to free up roads from randomly parked vehicles near the mall and ensure smooth traffic movement.Many car owners whose vehicles were towed away said that as they were being punished, autorickshaws continued to park in an unauthorised manner. “The mall’s parking lot was full and I saw many other four-wheelers lined up haphazardly, I parked my car for two minutes to buy something from a nearby shop, In the meantime, they towed away my four-wheeler,” said Sanjay Sinha, a contractor.ASP (traffic) RS Nim said “Police are doing their best to improve the traffic situation but public should be also take responsibility. While illegally parked vehicles continue to occupy roads, it leads to frequent traffic snarls. These drives are routine.”

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