PANJIM: A group of Dona Paula residents have approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa pointing to the pitiable traffic situation along the NIO junction owing to lack of public parking facilities for the locals and tourists in and around the vicinity.
Seeking immediate relief, the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by nine residents of Dona Paula have also brought to the notice of the court that repeated pleas to the authorities to create parking and toilet facilities at a spacious land acquired way back in 1998, have fallen on deaf ears.
The petitioners have mentioned about the haphazard and illegal parking of hundreds of local city buses, tourist buses, taxis and other vehicles around the NIO junction and along the roads that converge to the junction; resulting in severe traffic congestions, chaos and tense moments of altercations. They have also submitted that the lack of public toilet facilities have forced visitors to use these open spaces to ease themselves.
“The acquired area of 16660 sq mts is partly slopy while the flat portion is approx 7000-8000 sq mts but (it) can adequately address the parking woes if put to proper use,” the petition states.
Petitioners Melvin Francis Da Silva, Rainer Dias, Bryan Soares, Allen do Carmo Lobo and five others also stated that Traffic Police Personnel are often at the receiving end from the visitors who demand to know place to park their vehicles. “The officers then express helplessness and do not enforce the “No Parking” rule notified,” the petition states. The residents who also reprimand the tourists for park their vehicle illegally are then questioned on the availability of parking space.
The petitioners further alleged that the government is proposing to construct a hotel and a restaurant at the acquired land, which the petitioners have opposed and objected to.
