Delhi Police intensifies action against wrong-side driving, unauthorised parking after LG's push

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu recently reviewed the progress of traffic enforcement measures across the capital in a meeting attended by the Commissioner of Police, Special CP (Traffic), Joint CP (Traffic), and DCP (Traffic). Assessing the overall enforcement data, the LG was informed that prosecution for driving against the flow (wrong side) witnessed a 98% increase, rising from 1,72,879 challans in June, 2025) to 3,42,381 challans up to June 25, 2026.

Simultaneously, challans for unauthorised parking increased by 36.5%, going up from 7,78,258 to 10,62,350 during the same period.

Furthermore, 2,033 FIRs were registered for driving on the wrong side between January 1 and June 25, 2026. During the review, the LG also emphasised the need to focus on enforcement against helmetless riding and triple riding on two-wheelers.

Reviewing the zone-wise breakdown of prosecution parameters, the LG noted substantial enforcement actions across different ranges.

The Eastern Range, that accounts for most congested, crowded and cramped roads and locations, recorded the highest proportional increase in wrong-side driving prosecutions at 189% (rising from 33,413 to 96,472 challans) and a 103% rise in unauthorized parking challans (from 1,13,070 to 2,29,313), along with the registration of 397 FIRs for wrong-side driving.

The Northern Range followed with a 128% increase in wrong-side driving (11,037 to 25,251 challans) yielding 410 FIRs, alongside a 51.5% increase in unauthorized parking (41,805 to 63,338 challans). The Central Range registered an 81.5% increase in wrong-side driving (69,149 to 1,25,441 challans) with 334 FIRs, and a 98.0% rise in unauthorised parking prosecutions (94,945 to 1,88,116 challans).

The LG was further apprised of the enforcement metrics from the remaining zones.

The New Delhi Range saw a 105% rise in wrong-side driving (11,140 to 22,901 challans) and a 13% increase in unauthorized parking (1,95,293 to 2,21,226 challans). The Southern Range recorded a 79% increase in wrong-side driving (20,499 to 36,663 challans) with 333 FIRs, and an 11% rise in unauthorized parking (1,43,569 to 1,59,729 challans). The Western Range observed a 29% increase in wrong-side driving (27,641 to 35,653 challans) with 296 FIRs, and a 6% increase in unauthorized parking (1,89,576 to 2,00,628 challans).

Assessing broader encroachment removal efforts initiated by the police in congruence with the RWAs and MTAs, during foot patrolling, the LG noted that 4,900 special joint drives were conducted with civic agencies between January and June 2026. These drives resulted in issuance of 3.9 lakh improper parking challans to clear pedestrian and vehicular pathways.

The detailed comparative data reflecting the year-on-year enforcement metrics across prosecution heads and specific ranges is appended below:

Also read: Delhi to launch weekend traffic courts from July 5 to clear pending challans | Details