With you for you always

The wonders of delhi......

The mantra of delhi police.. the tag line for the last 10 odd years.. with you for u always… crap… I love delhi and have to defend it to many a traveler but after the experience I had I think foreigners and diplomats are safer in my city than me!!!

Here’s what happened:

My last birthday as a single independent lady in delhi,16th june 2007, I take my friends to Chungwa in M block market GK – 2 for a nice lunch. The food was ok the service horrendous, the waiters lazy… wait wait wait, I’m digressing… ok so I park my car, get a parking slip from the government authorized parking attendant ‘ 10 rupees for 3 hours’ , come out an hour later and there is a huge mob that’s collected in the market. Wondering what the commotion is about I notice a sticker on my car saying ‘look wrong parking’. It’s a challan for 600 rupees. 600 rupees for no fault of mine????

I decided then and there I was going to fight for my rights. Hale Bob Marley… The problem was who to fight with.
The traffic police said – I’m right get the parking attendant to pay.
The parking attendant said – wait let me talk to the cops and disappeared.
The Delhi police ‘with u for u always’, said- its beyond our jurisdiction speak to traffic police.
Traffic police said – get delhi police to get u your money for the challan from the parking attendant.
Delhi police said – we can’t do that.

So what do I do go find some goonda to beat the parking attendant up or should I have physically assaulted him and taken the money…Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally someone after much fighting said go to Nehru place and lodge a complaint. Brilliant!
So I and my 2 musketeer friends go to Nehru place to fight for my rights.
We expect a government office, we find a dilapidated stinky 4 X 4 room, and I spew out my story.
The chap there too agrees I am not at fault the parking attendant will pay. He calls the traffic police agent deployed at the spot to bring the parking attendant. Half an hour later he arrives with the wrong guy. The chap tells me to go back to gk 2 and find the right parking attendant… its my birthday …. Hrmphf!!!!!!!

I walk out and the traffic police agent says he will not issue me a ticket as it was not my fault…. Why couldn’t he have just said that in the 1st place!!!

Anyhow I still have the evidence, so just incase he was lying and I get a ticket in 2 months because that’s how long it takes…I will re open the case… and if I am honest I will probably just pay the 600 bucks to save from having to go to court!!!


Lessons learnt:

Do not trust the parking guys unless you’re sure its authorized parking with no signs for no parking or tow away zone in atleast a 1KM radius of your car.
do not go to delhi police for any traffic related offence
do not go to delhi police for any help whatsoever… the traffic police is atleast a lot more civil if you speak nicely. Delhi police is rude!
drive as little as possible .

15th june a bike comes and bangs into my car, dents my bumper, and the man yells at me saying ‘ Madaam break marne se pehle… peeche toh dekh lo”, ‘Madaam before u jam on your breaks look behind u”… ya and go straight into the back of the car in front of me that breaked??????


Stand by what you believe in and see it through to the end. It’s a headache but it might just pay off.

Don’t think the traffic police agent actually thought I’d go to Nehru place and fight for my rights!!!

Delhi police cannot give you a ticket unless its at night when traffic police is off duty!!!