Khammam: Lack of parking space has become a major headache for the people of Sattupalli as the traffic cops do not show any mercy on those who park their vehicles in ‘No Parking’ areas.
A total of Rs.7.11 lakh was imposed on vehicle owners of Sattupalli as penalty for parking in wrong places in the last 18 months from November 2019 to June 2021. A total of 1,422 persons got Rs.500 penalty for parking on the wrong side during the period. The denizens of Sattupalli seem to be caught in a tight corner as the police are in no mood to pay heed to their excuses.
N Ramesh, a pharmacist said, “I was imposed a penalty twice for parking a vehicle in front of my shop. The police, who have the power to impose penalty, have also the responsibility to provide parking space in Sattupalli town.” Surprisingly, the cops are knocking the doors of vehicle owners to collect the fines if the person has six challans due on his vehicle.
Sattupalli is a central town to 150 villages in five mandals including Vemsoor, Penuballi, Dammapet, Aswaraopet and Sattupalli. Many people from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh also visit the town for different purposes. There is no parking place in the town and the people who are not aware of this park their vehicles at various places.
There are 50 closed circuit cameras that cover all sides of the town and the cops impose fines after watching traffic violations in CCTV footage. There are 8,331 other victims who were penalised for not wearing helmets and masks, speeding and violating lockdown guidelines. About 746 persons were fined for not wearing helmets and they have to pay Rs.5.46 lakh.
As many as 440 persons received challans for not wearing masks. The police imposed Rs 37.40 lakh as penalty on 9,756 persons in the last 18 months.
There is no coordination between the police and municipal officials on allocating a site for parking. Interestingly, the municipal officials are collecting Rs.2,000 fees from vendors for occupying footpaths.
