Following complaints about rude towing personnel, Navi Mumbai traffic dept tells contractors to paste contact details of towing staff and traffic cops
Following complaints about rude towing personnel, Navi Mumbai traffic dept tells contractors to paste contact details of towing staff and traffic cops
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If everything goes smoothly, according to the Navi Mumbai traffic police's new plan, then Navi Mumbaikars will be able to get even with the rude towing staff, who have allegedly manhandled their vehicles while towing, causing monetary loss to the owners.
'Tow' the line: The traffic police in Navi Mumbai has the new system
after complaints from people about the rowdy behaviour of towing staff
Receiving many complaints from people about the rowdy behaviour of the towing staff, the traffic department has now introduced a new system. Towing staff have been instructed to create a board with their own contact details, as well that of the traffic police on duty, and paste it on the towed vehicle. Sources said that this novel system is yet to be implemented across major cities in the state, including Mumbai.u00a0
Commenting on the new system, Vijay Patil, deputy commissioner (Traffic) of Navi Mumbai Police, said, "We had been receiving many complaints from people about the rudeness exhibited by the towing staff. Several others wanted to register complaints about the damages sustained by their vehicles while they were being towed away. As they were clueless about the identity of the contractor or the police officials deployed for towing, they could never address the issue. Hence, officials of all towing units have been instructed that a board be hung from the towed vehicles, displaying the name and contact detailsu00a0 of the towing staff and police constables on duty, as well as the landline number of the ACP (traffic)."
He added, "If people find that the towing staff speaking inappropriately or behaving rudely, they can lodge complaints with the ACP office by calling the number displayed on the board. Appropriate action will be initiated against the errant employee by the officials on duty."
On towing duty
Currently, 14 towing vehicles operate on the Navi Mumbai streets, to pull away vehicles that have been creating traffic problems or been parked in no parking zones.
The Other Side
The contractors rubbished the allegation levelled against their staff members. "Whenever we try to tow away vehicles, the owners start arguing with us. If we listen to their excuses, the towing process will be affected. We always ask them to follow us to the lot where towed vehicles are taken," said a contractor, requesting anonymity.