Mangaluru: To lift vehicles from parked in No Parking areas in the city,  The four traffic police stations will get one towing vehicle each in the next few days , said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Hanumantharaya here on Friday.

Replying to a question at the weekly phone-in programme, Mr. Hanunatharaya said that the police invited bids three times to select an agency to tow vehicles for the police.

The process was cancelled as none applied. Firms were reluctant to submit bids as the cost to be paid for towing a vehicle was too less. Later, the city police urged the government to increase the rates for towing vehicles.

Mr. Hanumantharaya said that the government issued an order revising the towing rates for Mangaluru city. Following this, the police called for bids again. Now, four agencies have applied. The bids would be opened shortly and the agency would be selected.

To a question why police on night patrol were not booking criminal cases against those using loud speakers after 10 p.m., Mr. Hanumantharaya said that the police were ensuring that such sound systems are switched off. “They are not registering FIRs as they do not have equipment to measure the sound level,” he said.

Mr. Hanumantharaya said that while issuing loud speaker licence, the police clearly mention the decibel levels to be maintained in residential and commercial areas. There was a bar on the use of sound systems between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

He said that in the last six months the police registered FIRs for violation of sound norms in the mornings. These cases were being registered under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act. To another question about repairing traffic signal lights in Honnakatte and KPT junctions that were damaged following heavy rain on May 29, Mr. Hanumantharaya said that the agency concerned has sought time to get spares from Hyderabad.