Team Herald
PONDA: The Ponda unit of Shiv Sena has threatened to take an action in its own style, if the local municipality fails to throw open to the public the vast basement parking facility of Ponda Market Complex, within fifteen days from Friday.
Addressing a press conference in Ponda, a local Shiv Sena activist Ravindra Talavlikar said that the Ponda Market Complex was inaugurated more than four years ago and yet its parking facility has not been made available to the public.
He demanded that the parking facility be made available to the publice before forthcoming Ganesh festival.
Talavlikar said that thousands of people and vendors visit the Ponda market during the festival seasons and they are subjected to hardship due to lack of parking facilities in the town.
Since there is no parking space in Ponda market, Talavlikar said, the visitors to the market park their vehicles along the roadside; besides, he said, the traditional vendors also squat along the roadside causing traffic congestion in the market.
Talavlikar regretted that despite there being a basement parking facility in the market project, it remain unutilized since past four and half years for reasons best known to PMC.
Talavlikar also criticized local MLA Lavoo Mamlatdar and other ministers from Ponda Taluka for not taking note of the difficulties faced by the people visiting the Ponda market vis-à-vis parking.
Stating that the 140-shop Ponda market complex was inaugurated more than four years, and yet only 20 shops are occupied so far, Talavlikar asked the municipality to allot the remaining shops to vendors.
The other demands of the Shiv Sena are maintaining hygiene in the market; clearing the passages in the market off plastic buckets and other materials.
; and shifting of footpath vendors to mezzanine floor of the complex.
