Shimla declares war on unauthorised parking, over 30k vehicles to be towed away

The next time you decide to drive your way up to scenic Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, do remember that parking your vehicle at just about any empty spot can invite the ire of authorities. This is because officials are now cracking down on illegal parking in and around Shimla, and will reportedly remove over 30,000 such vehicles in a bid to decongest the state's capital city.

Shimla has seen a big spurt in local as tourist vehicles. The ongoing summer-break period has seen the number of tourist vehicles rise further once again. Space is at a premium in the hill station and narrow roads often get clogged due to parking on both sides. Local authorities say that the situation worsens during weekend periods.

In a stern message to erring drivers, the authorities now plan to take strict action against illegally parked vehicles. The hill station has around 1.25 lakh vehicles registered under Shimla plate. Of this, aroud 60,000 are parked illegally, reveal police data.

And then there is the problem of tourist inflow. Officials say that over the weekend, starting Friday, around 54,000 vehicles had entered Shimla but parking spaces remain limited. The hill station has 12 authorised parking spaces with room for up to 5,000 vehicles.

As such, an eight-week-long campaign has been launched to ensure a large number of vehicles found illegally parked will be removed from public roads. The owners will have to pay a fine to retrieve their vehicles and all unidentified vehicles which are not claimed will be auctioned.

But it is not just about punitive steps. The local authorities have also said that parking would be allowed on one side of the road but not on the other. This is to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. Traffic regulation too is in focus with plans of installing 10 signals at various points. Additional CCTV cameras will also be used to monitor the on-road situations at various parts.

(With inputs from PTI)