Traffic police get ready to tow a car parked illegally in Muzaffarpur on Sunday. Picture by Lokesh Bihari

The district police deserve a pat for collecting Rs 24,090 in fines from motorists parking their vehicles illegally on roads in two days.

District magistrate Anupam Kumar had sought necessary permission from the state government for imposing fine on capricious motorists.

After the state government readily agreed, the district magistrate entrusted traffic officer Sujit Kumar to recover fines following a request made by senior superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra.

On May 23, the district police launched the campaign against owners or drivers of wrongly parked vehicles, which hindered traffic flow.

Encroachment on roads, wrong parking of vehicles and lack of parking lots have plagued the traffic in the commercial hub of Muzaffarpur.

Senior superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra said: “The strength of traffic cops has been increased to regulate vehicular movement and the system of imposition of fine on errant motorists is introduced. So far, Rs 24,090 has been recovered in traffic fines between May 23 and May 25.”

The district police have appealed to members of the trading community and representatives of the North Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry to restrain businessmen and shopkeepers not to contribute to the mess in putting obstacles in the traffic system.

“Traders and shopkeepers of the township usually place their goods and saleable items on display outside their shops, thereby adding to the road congestion,” said the senior superintendent of police .

Shopkeepers identified by the station house officers of Town, Mithanpura, Barhampura and Kazimohammadpur police stations causing road congestion would be served notices to mend their ways.

The ongoing drive against capricious motorists would continue.

Traffic officer Sujit Kumar has been empowered to catch errant drivers and recover fines from them on the spot.

The vehicles of those who fail to cough up fine on the spot should be brought or lifted with the help of wrecker to the nearest police station.

Enraged over the introduction of fines, Manoj Tiwary, a resident of Rambagh, said he was fined Rs 300 for parking his two-wheeler outside a shop in Motijheel on Saturday evening.

Tiwary demanded that the police should arrange for parking lots in the busy market areas. “If the motorists park their vehicles outside the shops then also, the fine should be realised,” said Rizwan Ahmad of Motijheel Road.

Following senior superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra’s request, district magistrate Anupam Kumar asked Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation commissioner Sita Choudhary to explore the possibilities of creating parking lots near Ghirnipokhar and beneath the rail overbridge in Motijheel.