Bhubaneswar: In a bid to make traffic enforcement more citizen-friendly, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced the establishment of a dedicated call centre to help vehicle owners whose cars are towed for illegal parking or causing obstructions.
The initiative addresses frequent complaints from owners who struggle to locate their vehicles after they are seized by enforcement teams, often leading to prolonged detention at impound yards and unnecessary frustration.
BMC Additional Commissioner Kailash Chandra Dash said that the call centre will function during peak evening hours from 6 pm to 10 pm, aligning with the period when most towing operations occur to ease city congestion. Alongside the new facility, BMC will promote its e
xisting toll-free helpline number 1929, which serves as a round-the-clock resource for civic grievances and will now specifically aid in tracing towed vehicles. “This will help people quickly trace their vehicles and reclaim them without unnecessary delay,” Dash told TOI.
Officials noted that owners will be encouraged to contact the centre promptly for guidance on the vehicle’s location. Once the applicable fine is paid, the vehicle will be released immediately.
BMC data indicates an average of around 15 vehicles towed daily across three zones by a centralised squad operated through a private agency, utilising three tow trucks. Prolonged stays at impound facilities have been common due to difficulties in contacting owners. The new system is expected to reduce such instances significantly and improve public cooperation with enforcement drives.
To complement the measure, BMC will enhance daytime awareness campaigns via public address systems, now including information about the call centre and the 1929 helpline. This forms part of broader efforts to manage rising traffic pressures in the city, where increasing vehicle numbers and limited parking spaces continue to fuel illegal parking issues.
The move is anticipated to streamline the reclaiming process, making it faster and less stressful while maintaining strict enforcement against violations that disrupt traffic flow.