Even as residents of Ponda continue to grap ple with worsening traffic congestion and an acute shortage of parking space, a decision to divert land origi nally acquired for a dedicat ed parking facility towards a riverfront development project has triggered strong public outrage. Members of the Ponda itess group along with the Enough Enough Movement have strongly opposed the move, alleging that the Ponda Municipal Coun cil (PMC) has ignored the city’s pressing civic needs despite the land having been specifically acquired nearly three decades ago to address future parking requirements.
Advocate Hridaynath Shirodkar said locals were forced to approach the Ponda Deputy Collector after construction ac tivity linked to the riverfront project, including a retaining wall, began on the site despite what activists described as a lack of transparency and permissions. “Ponda is facing major parking problem due to short age of dedicated parking areas in City. The PMC in 1995 had acquired the 16000 square meters land considering future requirment of Parking in City, however today PMC and Government without any vision had diverted this space for river front Project and construction of retaining wall for it also began without proper permissions,” Shi rodkar said. Shirodkar said locals Viraj Sapre and John Mascarenhas had filed a formal complaint objecting to the use of the park ing-designated land for the riverfront project. He further questioned the government’s spending priorities, stating that scarce public funds should instead be channelled to wards long-pending essential projects. “Instead the Council should divert money to complete Sub District Hospital Project which lacks upgradation similarly complete Market Complex Project using the money,” he said. He also pointed to the absence of mandatory project dis closure boards at the construction site, raising further con cerns over transparency and procedural compliance. Viraj Sapre maintained that the opposition was not against development, but against the erosion of public-purpose land acquired from residents decades ago under a specific prom ise. “We are not against development works but Parking land should not use for other Project,” Sapre said, adding that nearly sixty landowners had surrendered their properties years ago for the parking project. He said the Deputy Collec tor had already sought clarification from the PMC following the complaint. Responding to the criticism, PMC Chairperson Veeren dra Dhavlikar defended the project and said the river front development had been formally launched by Urban Development Minister Vishwajeet Rane on October 15 last year and was originally initiated by former minister Ravi Naik. “The River Front Project foundation was laid by Urban Development Minister Vishwajeet Rane on October 15 last year. It was initiated by late Minister Ravi Naik. It will have joggers track, food court and even space for parking. At that time nobody had opposed the project,” Dhavlikar said. However, activists insist that adding limited parking pro visions to a recreational project cannot compensate for the loss of a strategically reserved public parking facility in a rapidly expanding commercial town already choking under unplanned growth and mounting vehicular pressure.
