Frequent traffic jams may have forced the Collem panchayat to take private land at Collem on lease to facilitate pay-parking for tourist taxis, but a majority of tourist taxis still park by the roadside near the Collem market.
Tourist taxi operators claim that the distance from the Collem market and high parking fees is keeping them away from using the notified parking lot.
Everyday, hundreds of tourists visit the famous Dudhsagar waterfall and there are separate vehicles to taken the tourists to and from the Dudhsagar waterfall, a rough ride of about 14 kilometers.
With no proper parking place, the area around the Collem market often witnesses traffic jams as tourist taxis are parked along the narrow road.
“Keeping this in mind, the Collem Panchayat recently started a pay-parking facility by taking private land about 1500 sq mts on lease near the Collem police station, a distance of about 300 meters from the Collem market, the entry point to Dudhsagar water fall,” said Collem Sarpanch Savita Dessai.
The fees levied are Rs 40 for cars, Rs 60 for a tempo and Rs 100 for a bus, but there are few takers.
“I feel the parking fees are too much and the parking area is far away,” said Bappa Korgaonkar, member of the North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association. The panchayat has however rejected the objections by some of the tourist taxi operators.
“In view of constant traffic jams, the panchayat decided to take private land on lease to facilitate pay-parking for tourist taxis. This has also generated jobs for the locals. I don’t think parking fees are high. Since there is no proper place in the vicinity of the entry point to Dudhsagar waterfall, we identified the area which is walking distance,” said Collem Deputy Sarpanch Nilesh Satpalkar.
The panchayat has now written to the office of the Transport department at Dharbandora, as tourist taxis are still seen parked along the narrow roads around the Collem market area.
“The custom of roadside parking is still prevalent in the area and tourist taxi drivers are avoiding the notified parking place. Several tourist taxis are seen parked along the narrow road, causing inconvenience to commuters. We hope authorities will take action in this regard,” said Collem Sarpanch Savita Dessai.
