[TSI47]

Today on the way to my office in Greater Noida I spotted this tractor trolley loaded with two wheels in such a pathetic manner. Looks like a towing vehicle to me as the entire tractor was yellow.



What happens if the vehicle gets scratched or damaged while towing like this?
Will the government pay for the damages?
Who traines these people for handling the vehicles? Moreover wrong parking is a different scenario but once you tow it, it should be the towing agency's responsibility.
It hurts to see the poor handling of the vehicles by towing persons.

Dear mods please feel free to merge this post with any of the related threads, created a new thread as couldn't find one related to this topic.

[UD17]

These are just goons hired on hourly or job work basis. People should unitedly raise a voice against these practice of traffic police.

They do not care about the priced possession of somebody, all they care is to pick as many cars/bikes as possible whether they are violating any rules or not. All the damages are on owners head.

[WorkingGuru]

Bangalore Police also had this practice. They even gave Blue T-shirts to such thugs. IIRC eventually it could only be stopped because some lawyer filed a PIL stating that the towing vehicles in question were not authorised to carry vehicles in that fashion as that is not approved by RTO, and these thieves who kidnap vehicles were not allowed to ride on them in this manner. Also all such modifications were against the RTO aproval, and thus illegal.

Apart from that, elections are coming up next year and presently all politicians are in appeasement mode.

Originally Posted by UD17

These are just goons hired on hourly or job work basis. People should unitedly raise a voice against these practice of traffic police.

They do not care about the priced possession of somebody, all they care is to pick as many cars/bikes as possible whether they are violating any rules or not. All the damages are on owners head.

I have time and again noticed that nothing short of the recent protests by agitated farmers (sustained over a long time) will work to change the Govts decision.

Similarly, the rule for rear seat belt is only made to harass citizens further, not because they really believe that every citizen is more valuable than the nation's resources (as claimed by the politician across various interviews). Cyrus Mistrys death is only being used as an excuse to validate the harrasment in the name of rules.

[GForceEnjoyer]

It's literally physically painful to see the way some people treat the vehicles being towed. This is one fine example. Others include the rope being tied around parts of the bumper (air dam, etc), deforming it in the process. Or automatic cars being towed without the driven wheels being lifted off the ground while still in park. The worst I saw was a BMW 5 Series being towed with the rear wheels on the ground! I shudder to imagine the state of the prop shaft and transmission. At least in my case, all the situations I witnessed included branded or at least official-looking tow trucks (and not traffic police), which points to an overall lack of understanding.

[Revvatron]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Bangalore Police also had this practice. They even gave Blue T-shirts to such thugs. IIRC eventually it could only be stopped because some lawyer filed a PIL stating that the towing vehicles in question were not authorised to carry vehicles in that fashion as that is not approved by RTO, and these thieves who kidnap vehicles were not allowed to ride on them in this manner. Also all such modifications were against the RTO aproval, and thus illegal.

Wow that's so nice to hear I occasionally visit Bangalore for my cousins in Whitefield and i remember this one time I took my cousin's bike to get few Xerox copies and parked at the side of the road. It was fairly off the road but since I was new to Bangalore I had no idea that parking at such spot means trouble. Within a blink of eye these blue t shirt guys came and lifted the bike into the van even though I was standing right next to it and was pleading them that I would move it. Usually in Hyderabad they give a warning and if you are immediately moving your vehicle they won't bother you anymore. Because of that incident I have always been afraid to take out my cousin's bike whenever I visit Bangalore. But after this news I will be able to ride again without any mental tension. Thanks to that lawyer.

I have seen this in news and some social media posts that in Bangalore they were using machines to directly pick and put in the van. Sometimes carrying the person along with the vehicle too. Was this a regular occurrence or just one off incident blow out of proportion.

[WorkingGuru]

Originally Posted by Revvatron

.... Within a blink of eye these blue t shirt guys came and lifted the bike into the van even though I was standing right next to it and was pleading them that I would move it. Usually in Hyderabad they give a warning and if you are immediately moving your vehicle they won't bother you anymore.

Exactly. The law states that the procedure is to announce the offence at the spot and wait for 15 minutes (or IIRC 30 mins). If the owner turns up within that time period, they're only liable for the penalty for parking incorrectly. Only if not, then the vehicle was to be towed & then held liable for (whatever extortionate) towing charges too. However, in Bangalore the cops were brazenly violating this & immediately picking up the vehicle & towing it away.

This continued despite people talking videos of the thieving behavior. There was once a physical scuttle among cops and motorists over this theft. Cops arrested the motorists and warned citizens that any harm or hindrance to these blue t-shirt fellows would not be tolerated & they'd file immediate FIR.

So this brazen theft continued, at the behest of traffic cops.

Because of that incident I have always been afraid to take out my cousin's bike whenever I visit Bangalore. But after this news I will be able to ride again without any mental tension. Thanks to that lawyer.

A few good things in India are surely thanks to good lawyers, no matter how much society despises them, often quite legitimately.

I have seen this in news and some social media posts that in Bangalore they were using machines to directly pick and put in the van. Sometimes carrying the person along with the vehicle too. Was this a regular occurrence or just one off incident blow out of proportion.

No this seems untrue. Maybe some crafty journo deliberately made this happen just a few times to simply make a sensational news story out of it.

[100Kmphormore]

My goodness, a 5 series with RWD towed like that while most definitely being in P? The police should be sued for damages and mental agony.

These rascals in Bengaluru operate with blessings of the BTP. Similarly, was on avenue road and had pulled over because my mother was making purchases at a shop, stayed with the bike. I get off literally a moment to bring the bags to the bike and there they are, pulling the handlebar like no ones business, lifting the rear end by the wheels onto the unmarked Tata 407! I asked them to put it down as we had come there to move it, and no, they needed an "amount" for the "effort". I showed them my wallet which was empty and also told them, about no signs of no parking at the spot. They have the audacity to ask me to paytm them 700 bucks, while at the time 750 was the fine for no parking! 500 was the max i had in my account, to which they agreed. The inspector had conveniently disappeared for "lunch" at 5 pm. most shameless traffic authority ever, extracting like this from a college student and this government too. before that, had endured a horrible 40 minute commute from hoskerehalli to avenue road, a distance of 8 km which should be 20 mins max, but have to slow down due to the pathetic roads.

[Beingtraveler]

It's not even just Bangalore, in Delhi too this practice is prevalent. I've had one incidence when I had to visit the university HQ, back when I was a student. I parked my bike right outside and other bikes were also parked there. I spent 30 minutes inside and when I came out, I was shocked to see my bike is not there. First thought that came to my mind was that it has been stolen. I was so shocked that it took me few minutes to come back to reality and I checked with few Street food vendors. One of them said that 'traffic cops have taken all the bikes'. I asked for nearby police station and hired auto. When I reached, I saw my bike parked in an open ground right outside the police station and the mudguard was heavily scratched. I almost had tears in my eyes, I hope everyone of you might be able to relate to what a bike means to you, when you're a student.

I went inside and only a lady constable was there, I asked her about my bike and she issued a fine of Rs.100 for parking in no parking zone. I paid that and asked about the scratches. I already knew the answer though. She said that these scratches must have been there before. On my insistance, she said that it could have been due to loading the bike on the tempo. I knew it was waste of time, but I was really heartbroken.

Nevertheless, I got it painted in next few months, but I still remember how horrific it was and that feeling when you don't find your vehicle at the spot you parked.

P.S. Bike was Hero Honda Passion plus - Turquoise blue (2005)