Alok Kumar, a resident of Sector 3, would take his car to Sector 13 Metro Station, park his vehicle in the free-parking zone, and then take the Metro to office. This had been his routine for the last four years. This July, he returned from office one day and found his car missing. He is now in the midst of paper work to claim insurance. Delhi News
And this is not a singular story — there are several similar instances of car and bike thefts from the free parking areas of Metro in Dwarka.
According to police sources, in 2017, 16 vehicles were reported stolen from the free parking area in front of Sector 14 Metro Station in a single month! Taking cognizance of the seriousness of the issue, Dwarka Police fenced off the area and currently parking is not allowed there.
Another victim, Sanjeev Kumar, whose bike was lifted from there, said, “For a few months, a police official used to be stationed there to stop vehicles from parking there. The situation was so alarming that the area was finally fenced off. But I don’t think that’s the solution. The administration should treat the threat more seriously.”
Saumya Thakur, a resident of Sector 4, added, “There was a paid parking area in Sector 13 earlier. We had to pay but we didn’t have any worries. Now, there’s free parking, but you park at your own risk. What’s the point then? Theft of vehicles from free parking areas in front of Metro stations highlights the failure of the system.”
These parking spaces are under the jurisdiction of Delhi Development Authority (DDA). And one way of curbing such incidents, in the words of Dwarka ACP Rajendra Singh, is to make them regulated parking zones.
When City Spidey got in touch with him, he said, “We have written several times to the DDA to regulate the free parking areas. The police has also written to the BSES for providing enough lights in these areas. In fact, we set up traps in several incidents to nab these miscreants, and the ruse worked. We’ll ensure that such incidents are avoided.”
