PONDA: MGP workers took up the role of law enforcers when they cleared the heavy vehicles parked along the National Highway at Curti, on Thursday.
Since the authorities failed to act on their repeated complaints and an eight-day deadline, the frustrated MGP workers came in a group and forced the heavy trucks parked along the highway to move out from there.
As the MGP workers were forcing the truck drivers to move out of the parking place, the news of the same reached the Ponda Deputy Collector and Ponda Police Inspector Suraj Halarnkar, who rushed to spot to maintain law and order. Both the authorities also ordered the truck drivers not to park their trucks on the roadside.
Local MGP leader Ketan Bhatikar, who led the clearing operation, warned the truck drivers not to park their vehicles along the highway at Curti.
He also demanded that the government provides a truck parking terminus to truck drivers and said that they are not against the government or industries but that the road should be free from such type of parking to prevent accidents.
Ketan Bhatikar also criticised the police and said that instead of hiding and issuing challans, the police should look at this issue of dangerous road parking by heavy trucks.
“Goan riders are not terrorists for police to hide and harass them for challans,” added Bhatikar.
He also added that the police should focus on ensuring safe driving instead of focusing only on the money made from challans.
He questioned why the police had not taken action earlier against the truck drivers who park their vehicles on the roadsides and also openly defecate and bathe at these spots.
He further questioned why the police had ignored how youth use the flyover and the new Khandepar Bridge for racing and parties.
“There are no streetlights on these flyovers and bridge, which invites anti-social activities. The police should carry out night patrolling to check this.
Meanwhile, Ponda locals, while appreciating the efforts of MGP workers, questioned why they had not shown the same zeal to clear similar dangerous parking by trucks, on the Dhavlim Farmagudi Highway, which passes through MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar’s Marcaim constituency.
