Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on September 17 said that the state government had no plans of resuming towing of vehicles from no-parking zones in Bengaluru. The policy of towing vehicles by traffic police had been suspended a while ago, after complaints from the public. The Home Minister said the department would hold detailed discussion and obtain expert advice to implement a public-friendly and smooth vehicle parking system in the city.
The Bengaluru police had earlier indicated that towing of vehicles might be resumed, however the Home Minister dismissed the idea and said that there was no proposal placed in front of them to restart towing of vehicles. He also said that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had also held discussions on this issue and no decision had been taken. He also said that the towing system had been suspended due to public outrage and harassment complaints and said that the old system will not be re-implemented.
In February 2022, Minister Jnanendra had announced that towing would be temporarily halted and a new and simplified system would be put in place. The move came after there had been a public outcry over the arbitrary towing of vehicles by authorities in Bengaluru over the past few months. The outcry had gotten louder after two recent incidents – one which showed a man running after a tow truck that had picked his vehicle and another instance, where a traffic constable was seen assaulting a woman with disabilities reportedly over a towing issue.
But the outcry has not been new. Bengaluru residents have often protested the tedious and random rules over towing in the city. Many residents had told TNM in August 2021 that their vehicles were towed without any reason, and that they were charged hefty fines, without being issued an official challan. Many also said that the authorities did not follow the proper procedure mandated while towing improperly parked vehicles.