VASCO: Vascoites are totally irked over a problem that is running on the town’s roads. And it’s a problem that is just not getting parked. Quite simply, it’s a question of parking their vehicles. So is there no space? There is ample space which is taken by handcarts and tourist taxis.
Of course ‘blame it on COVID’ is the ready mantra. MMC chairperson Nandadeep Raut said, “The joint meeting of the PWD, Traffic cell and MMC to demarcate parking space which was supposed to take place during March this year never happened due to COVID pandemic.”
Preetam Queloscar, a local from Vasco said, “On my visit to Vasco for some official work today I had to take five rounds around the town to search for parking space for my car. I had the same issue with my motorcycle. There are areas kept for parking but their availability for use is questionable.”
“All two-wheeler parking spaces have been encroached upon by the handcart vendors leaving no place for us to park. Many illegal carts vendors have started to encroach upon parking spaces”, lamented Queloscar.
To add to this, some taxi operators are encroaching into parking spaces for the entire day to park their cars, where residents of the town and other visitors are supposed to park their vehicles.
Commenting on the parking issue Councillor Nilesh Navelkar came down heavily on the lackadaisical approach of MMC and has asked for stringent action to resolve the parking issue in the town.
Navelkar mentioned that the taxi operators who get licence/permission to operate cabs should have their own office and parking spaces. Because of them occupying parking spaces illegally, many local people are deprived of parking space in town and had to pay fines for parking haphazardly.
He also criticised MMC for going soft on the handcarts which are functioning in parking spaces which further leads to the parking problems. Navelkar has called for strict action and solution to the parking issue.
Mormugao Municipal Council chairperson Nandadeep Raut said he agrees that there is a parking problem in the port town. When asked what steps he has taken to solve the major issue of parking in the town, Raut said they were supposed to have a joint meeting in which the officials from the PWD, Traffic Cell Vasco and the Mormugao Municipal Council members were supposed to discuss, inspect and mark the parking areas in the town, but sadly due to the COVID pandemic the meeting never happened and the problem remained as it is.
Councillor Krishna (Daji) Salkar said the MMC should be strict in taking action against those who are encroaching on the parking space and there should not be any bigwigs’ interference.
Salkar also pointed out that there is also necessity to advertise to clear the scrap unused vehicles lying and occupying the space in the port town. As per my calculations there might be over 150 four-wheelers and two wheelers lying and if these vehicles are cleared and auctioned by the MMC by following all necessary procedures then much space will be available for parking.
He said, “It has been also observed that many tourist taxi operators are parking their vehicles opposite municipality building and this leads to the unavailability of parking space for others. MMC can organise a meeting with these cab operators, take them into confidence and then shift them at the open space opposite a hotel.”
It may be recalled that last year chairperson Raut and then Traffic PI Suraj Samant had discussed making the area opposite municipality building a parking place so that parking issue will be solved to some extent.
Raut although had revealed at that time that the resolution regarding the pay parking has been forwarded to the South Goa Collector and in near future, it might be implemented.
