The Development Plan for Margao has taken a beating. The Smart City dream has also been shattered. The parking project of Margao is not going to materialise any time soon. To add to the mess, several buildings in the town have converted their mandatory ground floor parking areas into commercial operations.
The Building Rules for towns have laid down strictures on buildings and have made it mandatory for all commercial buildings to have their ground floor as a parking lot. However, Margao has kept the rules at bay. Rather than following the rules, the MMC and the Traffic Police have begun a massive vehicle penalisation drive for innocent and helpless commuters.
The road from Pandava Chapel to Cine Vishant and from Cine Vishant to Borkar Super market in Margao has been clad with several high rise buildings and commercial arcades. These buildings are a classic example of how the Municipality’s blind eye to the rules has created a monster of a parking problem on the stretch. Several shops have started and have been given on rent to various traders. A builder builds a huge building and several shops. He sells it for a lot of money which becomes a headache for the civil citizen.
Now the Margao Municipality and the traffic cell have been working a service of picking vehicles in the no parking zone. Almost all the areas in Margao are always congested and more than 50 wrongly parked vehicles are picked up by the Traffic cell every day and fined Rupees 100 each. The people have lately begun to lose calm over the acts of the police to pick vehicles as the people have no parking space left in the town.
While speaking on this issue, the President of Market Traders Association, Vinod Shirodkar said, “The MMC and the Traffic Police need to provide a proper parking space for people and then indulge in picking up vehicles. People park in places which they shouldn’t only because of the parking crunch and the MMC and the Traffic Police have to handle it more sensitively”.
The conversion of the underground and dedicated parking spots of commercial buildings has vanished in recent times. “Citing an example the parking of the Vishant Theatre has vanished and there should be an inquiry by the MMC in to the manipulation,” Shirodkar added. The Parking area of the Cine Vishant theatre was converted into a shopping mall. Two theatres have been made in the area of one. People are attracted here but there is no idea on where the people should park their vehicles and it has become a major problem.
As a result of the absence of parking at the Cine Vishant theatre, people have now begun parking their vehicles on both sides of the roads which has resulted in an alarming raise in accidents on the stretch of the road. Two accidents occur on an average every week worsening the traffic situation. “The Vishant Theatre and Navtara Restaurant are responsible for the whole mess at the road,” said Vinod Shirodkar. “The Aquemkaars, Malbhatkaars will block the road if the nuisance is not solved soon,” he warned.
When enquired with the Chief Officer of the MMC Yashwant Tawde he said “If there is a complaint against any such buildings then we do have the powers to take action against them. The MMC can send a show cause to the buildings who have done any modifications to the ground floor of the buildings and can take necessary actions against them”.
Angered parents of City schools meeting the Deputy Superintendent of Police and venting their anger over the reckless fining is just the beginning. The parking issue if not resolved soon has a potential to create enough waves which may also shake the state Government awake and demand for immediate action. The MMC today has laid the foundation for the car and bike park space which will be complete in two more years. Sadly until then the people of Margao may have to struggle for a parking space every single day.
