VIBHA VERMA
Even as the city claims to compete with other cities in the country as one of the best ‘urban cities, the lack of vision in Panjim has left the capital city in utter chaos. On one hand, the available space for parking is shrinking, while on the other hand, the number of vehicles entering the city is only increasing.
Projects like the multi-level parking facility near the Panjim bus stand has become a white elephant. Crores of rupees have been spent on it but the utility has not been used as per the original plan and thus not offered the solution, it was meant to provide.
The authorities have failed to convince the vehicle owners to park their vehicle at the complex, which has a capacity to accommodate whopping 465 cars at any given time.
The different parking lanes created in the city have also failed to satisfy the requirement of vehicles which are increasing every passing day.
Know this! There are 5,500 parking spaces for two-wheelers and 2,200 for four wheelers in Panjim itself. But that is not enough to accommodate more than one lakh vehicles entering the city on a regular basis.
The city handles over a lakh when it comes to the floating population figures. Double parking, parking in no parking zone areas and wrong parking have compounded the existing problems.
What adds to this issue; is the existence of offshore casinos, which have set up their offices on fishing jetties, which were built for the vessels to anchor in case of emergencies.
The vehicles visiting the casinos create a traffic ruckus and menace in the city.
After several years of piled up complaints, finally, some action has been contemplated against the illegal parking of casino vehicles with Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate asking the authorities concerned to book the offenders.
The Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) recently held a joint meeting with the Panjim Traffic Cell and the representatives of the casino staff to ensure that vehicles are instead parked in the GTDC’s multi-level parking facility failing which the vehicles will be towed to the police station and its owners will be penalised.
“We have asked the casino management to implement valet parking. To park their staff and customer vehicles at the GTDC multi-level parking facility, and to arrange for transport,” Mayor Uday Madkaikar said.
The Mayor added that GTDC has agreed on the proposal. Many business establishments have also complained about illegal parking claiming that it is hampering their businesses. These locations have been witnessing an increasing number of vehicles parked violating the law.
“The four-wheelers have become a menace in Panjim. Forget about parking right in front of our shops, the drivers even park their vehicles on the zebra crossings and turns,” said a staff working at the newly-opened footwear store along the Mahatma Gandhi road said.
A similar ordeal is faced by several stores located on Dr Domingos Roque De Souza Road, Dr Atmaram Borkar Road, etc.
While there are regular inspections carried out by traffic police, it has not brought in any discipline among drivers.
Moreover, the pay parking across 17 lanes was discontinued within one year after it was ridden with scams by the Margao-based contractor.
While the authorities claim that they are trying to figure out a solution to the increasing parking menace, the traffic police said that the citizens should cooperate with them to ensure proper parking.
“There are many areas which are overcrowded while certain areas like near the Health Department and Forest Park, which hardly witnesses parking, could be used for the purpose. People should inculcate the practice of walking. Don’t expect to park at the doorstep. Things can be worked out, but people should cooperate,” Deputy Superintendent of (Traffic) Police Dharmesh Angle said.
The Panjim Traffic PI Brendon D’Souza also conceded that parking is an issue but added that the necessary awareness is being created to tackle it.
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CCP to re-introduce pay-parking on lanes from August
Two years after the pay parking scheme was discontinued in 2017; CCP is set to re-introduce the scheme by August with a proposal, to add a new lane from ‘Down The Road River Front’ pub till Directorate of Accounts to the lanes, which will be covered under this scheme.
City Mayor Uday Madkaikar said the project will begin with a trial on 2-3 streets including the Dayanand Bandodkar road and 18 June Road. A proposal to notify the road from Down The Road pub to the Accounts department, as pay parking is also made to the District Administration. The above stretch has incidentally been taken over by casino vehicles.
“Once this stretch is notified, the pay parking system will be implemented here as well. In all, at least 18 lanes will come under the pay parking scheme but we will begin with 2-3 streets in August,” he said. After the expiry of the contract awarded to Straight Deal Services in 2016, the CCP discontinued the pay parking scheme in 2017, as the system failed to bring in any discipline to the city’s chaotic and mismanaged traffic and CCP lost revenue to the tune of over Rs 24 lakh due to the alleged non-payment by the contractor. The contractor had claimed they failed to get the required revenue owing to CCP’s failure to demarcate parking areas with the necessary signages.
