Residents of Colaba meet traffic department officers to find solutions for the deteriorating state of law and order vis-à-vis traffic
Colaba, the elite SoBo hub, is on the radar of several politicians who want to transform it into a paradise for tourists. However, the ground reality of Colaba is far different, difficult and unfavourable. Among the various issues plaguing this place, a major bane has been the traffic violations for which several Colaba residents met DCP Anil Kumbhare (traffic) to find possible solutions. Cops’ inefficiency
DCP Kumbhare visited the area near Boman Cawasji Boman Behram Marg along with the residents. A resident present at the site said, “The DCP, along with another officer, inspected the area and heard us speak about the major problems. We hope that some solutions will be found to address them.”
The burning issues faced by the residents include double parking, illegal parking, corner parking, two-wheelers violating the one-way entrance and few vehicles that have been parked in a spot for more than three months. Subhash Motwani, a Colaba-based resident shared, “Even while we were inspecting the area, two-wheelers blatantly flouted rules by entering the no-entry lane, in front of these two traffic cops. To top it all, DCP Kumbhare commented, ‘It’s in the Indian DNA to flout rules.’ If these cops show this kind of attitude, how can we ever find solutions?”
According to the residents, the DCP said that the department is short-staffed and there are not enough wheel clamps that can be used to curb the menace of illegally parked cars. The residents have planned to purchase the clamps for the traffic department, which they are hoping would help the situation.
Sharing solutions
The residents are worried sick about the deteriorating law and order situation in the context of traffic in the Colaba Quadrangular, which starts from Shahid Bhagat Singh Road and extends to Arthur Bunder Road or Azmi Marg and also includes Boman Cawasji Boman Behram Marg (BCBM), P Ramchandani Marg, BEST Marg and the by-lanes of JA Allana Marg, Henry Road, Walton Road, Garden Road and Oliver Street.
Another resident, in the spirit of sharing solutions, said, “Putting up signs of no-parking for public and private taxis, buses and valets by working with the BMC and the residents and by arranging for towing trucks that are stationed and actively operational in the area will go a long way. We can have the clamps stored in the ground floor spare rooms of our buildings. The Taj Mahal Hotel can arrange for traffic wardens in the area since most of the trouble starts there. Reviewing the idea of declaring the area as a resident-sticker parking only, where the residents pay for their spots and no one else can park in those spots, as is done in heritage areas around the world, will certainly help.” Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) says, “I am planning a visit to the area in a day or two according to my schedule. I’ll look into it soon.”
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