When the state decided to go ahead with the decision to introduce paid parking, it
generated much debate in the state. Arguments ranged from the importance of
sorting the roads out first, to why was this move made now when road taxes were
already being charged. In the end, it was introduced and now 18 June Road in
Panjim is a zone where this has been launched with the aim to decongest the
roads and earn revenue out of parking.
Cafe decided to check how stakeholders i e shop
owners, shoppers and the people of Panjim have reacted to this move. Most shop
owners of 18th June road are , not overjoyed with this move
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Shop owners want
discounts’
The road is dotted with restaurants,
offices and shops retailing products as varied as alcohol, dry fruits and
garments. For Sankalp Raikar, the owner of Million Hairs, the cost of parking
the car for an hour is on the higher side. He said, “Rs 20 per hour for the
first hour is high and then Rs 15 every hour after that makes it expensive.
Yes, nowadays we get parking in front of the shop but I strongly believe that
we should get a discount because we will be coming here every day. I am also
thinking of those who don’t earn big fat salaries; how are they going to afford
this? Salaries have not increased according to my friends but these expenses
have to be paid now, how can people afford it?’
Cost of parking has
gone up, business has been affected
More straight forward views were articulated by Lokush Parker,
who owns a pharmacy store on the street. He said, “I am not happy with this
development. We are already paying a road tax and now this. Free parking is
important. Yes, now one is able to park but at what cost? There has been an
effect on business because cars and bikes are not allowed to stop. I come by
bike and it is still tough to get parking for bikes. There is no specific spot
for bikes near my shop.”
Good relations help
some ‘manage’, without paying
Like everything in life, maintaining good relations help. For
Vamsi, who refused to give his surname, the new rule has had no effect. A sales
executive in a local outlet, he said he had not paid any money from the time it
was introduced. He said, “The people who issue the passes are aware I work
here, so they don’t charge me. The government charges this fee but what are
they offering us in turn? In today’s depressed market with sales having
slumped, this is something that was not needed. I know of people who just park
off 18 June Road and walk the necessary 50-odd metres to their outlet.”
Happy because
customers can park easily
Jewellers have not had much to cheer this season and Chintamani
Jewellers have been riding the rough waves for a while. John D’Mello, who
manages the outlet, said this move had not affected them. He said, “We used to
give a rebate to customers who visited us and this move has helped because now
they find parking very easy.” For those not aware, two-wheeler owners can avail
a monthly pass paying Rs 175, quarterly Rs 480 and yearly Rs 1,800. The
four-wheeler owners can get monthly pass for Rs 2,000, quarterly Rs 5,250 and
yearly Rs 18,000.
Taxis bringing customers are not allowed to stop, thus affecting
business
Niles of Maria Designer Boutique said it was a good move but
taxis that brought customers to the various outlets based on the road were not
being allowed to stop, affecting business. Given the generally depressed
sentiment this he said was an unfortunate development. He said he travelled by
his scooter which he parked off the road for which he did not have to pay any
fee.
The yearly expenses
add up to a big amount ( if the monthly pass s not availed of)
The branch manager of an Indian major operating in the financé
market said he was not happy with having to pay a fee to park his vehicle.
Mayur Manerikar said “It comes to Rs. 140 for the entire day, Rs. 3640 per
month which works out to approximately Rs. 43,680 every year”. It was, he said
a lot of money to pay for people in a state where salaries were not great*. (
*The annual amount, as mentioned earlier is actually just Rs 18,000 if a yearly
pass is availed)
Everyone’s fine with
the system except a few shopkeepers, says parking contractor
When these sentiments were presented to Sohan Jawarkar of
Jawarkar Parking Services, the contractor who is managing the pay parking
project in Panjim, he said this was a concept which was already operational in
other parts of the country and was something new in Goa. Paid parking had also
been on Atmaram Borkar Road and the road behind the old secretariat and he said
apart from the mutterings of a few retailers it was all ok.
Govt employees run
away after parking their vehicles; locals cooperative, taxi drivers
With regards to problems he said he had videos of government
employees running away after parking their vehicles. He said they had to pay Rs
4 an hour for the two wheelers and it was unfortunate to see them behave like
this. He however highlighted the fact that the locals were very cooperative
though the same could not be said for taxi drivers who came from Mapusa
Families who came in
three cars, now come in one
He said it was a good development to see people who worked in
the same outlet now coming in one car instead of three cars which was the norm
earlier. He said in the next two months everything would be streamlined and
they intended to appoint marshals who could then contact the police whenever
they faced cases like double parking or parking on zebra crossings.
Jawarkar ended by saying people had to be given time to
understand the benefits of paid parking and its long term benefits.
The
CCP Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues, speaking about paid parking and plans to
expand it told Cafe “We are presently implementing Phase 1 and based on the
learnings we will initiate phase 2 at the appropriate time.”.
