5 pay-parking areas in Panjim notified

Team Herald

PANJIM: The Office of the District Magistrate, North Goa has notified five pay parking areas in Panjim with directions to Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) for compliance by mid-September. The bid to re-introduce pay parking comes after the CCP expressed its determination to bring discipline in parking of vehicles. 

The roads including 18th June Road commencing from Sunrise Hotel up to BSNL Office near Church Square, Rua Cunha Rivera Road from A B Naique Square (commerce point to hotel Vinanti) and all along Garcia de Orta Garden on all four sides, Dr A B Road commencing from Corporation Bank at Church Square up to Opposite Rayu Chambers, Joao Castro Road from Down The Road Pub to behind Old Secretariat and Jack Sequeira Road from Miramar Circle up to first gate of Sharda Mandir School on both sides of the road; have been earmarked as pay parking zones for four-wheelers only. 

The notification, approving Rs 20 for up to four hours and Rs 10 for every extra hour or part, will be applicable from 9 am to 9 pm on all days except Sundays. 

In the notification, North Collector R Menaka has asked the CCP Commissioner to make necessary arrangements to construct/erect all the required sign boards at the places indicated as pay parking and report compliance by September 16, 2019. “Unless all sign boards are erected the collection of fees shall not commence,” the order states. 

In a set of conditions, the Collectorate has  instructed that persons/attendant engaged in collecting parking fees should be compulsorily wearing proper uniform prescribed by the CCP and display proper photo ID cards with unique numbers issued by the CCP. The attendant should also be carrying a certified copy of the notified rate chart. “The parking receipt/slip issued to the motorists shall bear the letter head of the CCP and contact number of the responsible officer of CCP to ensure that grievance if any is expressed to the concerned. Also complaints if any shall be redressed by such officer,” it further reads. 

Double parking, parking on footpaths, parking on zebra crossing, parking at the entrance of any residential building having parking facilities shall not be allowed are amongst other set of conditions. The pay parking system however exempts government vehicles. 

CCP Mayor Uday Madkaikar, during a press conference on Friday evening, said the pay parking implementation will begin from October. 

CCP to notify taxi stand 

CCP has decided to notify taxi stands across city, where around 120 taxis will be allowed to park, free of cost. The Mayor said that currently 500-600 tourist taxis are parked in the city thus blocking parking slot for public vehicles. 

“The taxi operators recently held meeting with Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate and demanded that the taxi stand be notified in the city. Accordingly, in consultation with traffic police, we have identified several places, especially near the hotels, which will be notified as the taxi stand,” said CCP Mayor Madkaikar.