PONDA
Residents of Ponda are beginning to realize that owning a vehicle seems to have become easier than getting it parked, given the acute shortage of parking facilities in the town.
With a number of buildings sprouting in every nook and corner of Ponda town, finding parking space has become a major challenge for any resident or visitor in Ponda.
Due to limited parking spaces, roads have been converted into parking spaces for roadside buildings and some vehicles have also been found parked on footpaths, compelling pedestrians to walk on the road.
Poor bus facilities along various routes have also led a growing number of people to own private vehicles, while builders have been accused of flouting the rules by converting parking spaces into shops and leaving little or no setback for parking of vehicles.
A large number of commercial buildings, government offices and educational institutions within Ponda town have contributed significantly to the parking woes, leaving a number of sites (see box) affected by acute traffic congestion due to poor parking facilities. Only a few buildings like the Sub District Hospital, government multipurpose building at Tisk and the Ponda market complex have parking facilities.
Adding to the parking woes in Ponda town, unused vehicles involved in court and accident cases have been abandoned in the parking space created by PMC at the old Mamlatdar building premises.
“We have been facing difficulties to proceed on the road due to parking of vehicles opposite the Ponda police station road. The accident vehicles should be shifted to another place,” remarked Nilaksh Khasnis, who resides opposite the Ponda police station.
The parking problem is not restricted to Ponda town alone. Except for Mangueshi temple, most other prominent temples and tourism spots in Ponda taluka also lack proper parking facilities, making it difficult for tourists to stop at these sites.
Social worker, Viraj Sapre, has attributed the parking woes to the violation of laws and poor planning in Ponda town.
“Parking problems have not been created overnight. In the last two decades, there has been no proper planning at Ponda, There is a law for underground parking, but no builder or authority, be it the PMC, PDA or Town and Country Planning, has followed the rules to ensure underground parking space since the last two decades,” said Sapre.
“After getting occupancy certificate for a building, parking spaces have been converted into shops. All persons concerned, including government authorities like Town and Country Planning, PDA and municipal authorities, have failed to look into the matter. Vendors occupying footpaths also create obstruction for parking,” Sapre added.
Vehicles involved in accidents have also been abandoned along the Ponda-Panjim highway near Farmagudi-Ponda.
“It is an eyesore to see abandoned vehicles in a temple city like Ponda, as hundreds of tourists visit Ponda everyday,” remarked Vinayak Kulkarni and his wife, a Maharashtrian couple who recently visited the Gopal Ganpati Temple at Farmagudi.
According to police sources Ponda Police have no specified place to keep vehicles involved in accidents or in court matters. “As a result, these vehicles are kept at any available place,” admitted a police source.
Speaking to Herald, PMC Chairperson Radhika Naik said the council has made spaces, wherever available, for parking facilities in the city.
Ponda Councillor Venkatesh Naik felt that better utilisation of space could help solve some of the parking woes in Ponda town.
“There is large space belonging to the government behind the Ponda fire station. The Ponda police can utilise this space to park unused vehicles involved in court and accident cases, instead of permanently leaving these vehicles in the parking space created by PMC at the old Mamlatdar building premises,” said Venkatesh Naik.
“If this is done, the parking space near the police station can be better utilised for parking of vehicles,” he added.
