Pune: Haphazard parking of vehicles in Pune Cantonment area is turning out to be a major headache for cantonment residents, traffic branch and commuters who use the cantonment area each day. The most pressing issue of double parking by four-wheelers and haphazardly parked two-wheelers are becoming a nightmare for local residents causing traffic jams in the area. The worst affected area MG Road, East Street, road opposite Kakade Mall, Justice Hidayatullah Road, Gaffar Baig Street and the roads leading to Golibar Maidan near Azam Campus.
Currently more than 50,000 residents stay in Pune Cantonment area besides many shoppers from different parts of the city visit in large numbers. Due to lack of adequate parking space with most of them being occupied by commercial establishments, residents and commuters find it difficult to park their vehicles. Currently the two parking lots MG Road and East Street are always found filled to the capacity. Despite the implementation of pay-and-park scheme, the space along the roads has been taken by traders who park their cars for the entire day leaving little space for the residents and shoppers.
Besides MG road, a critical problem lies on the road near Azam Campus which leads to Golibar Maidan. The Justice K B Hidayatullah road is full of indiscrimately parked two wheelers, autos and with local residents depositing their belongings leading to traffic jams. Residents have demanded deployment of traffic constables on the road to clear the jams which take place in the mornings and the evenings.
According to cantonment activist Netraprakash Bhog, the shoppers are being forced to resort to double parking as the commercial establishments have used basement parking for trading purposes.
" The business establishments should be penalised for eating into the parking space of cantonment area. The board too is lackadaisical in its approach in ensuring that the commercial establishment vacate the parking lots. Double parking is leading to traffic jams all over the cantonment making traffic enforcement a challenging task before the police ," he added.
DCP ( Traffic ) Vishwas Pandhare said that double parking was a serious issue in Pune Cantonment and added that the traffic branch has written a number of letters to the Pune Cantonment seeking creation of parking space in the parking lots of trading establishments, "Citizens should avoid double parking on MG road and instead should park their vehicles on East Street and Elphinstone Road, if parking on MG Road is full. Besides, the shoppers can take help of pay and park contractors in getting a proper parking on the important roads," he said.
PCB Executive Engineer K V Shirodkar said that notices have been issued to the business establishments regarding conversion of parking lots into commercial ventures.
" Steps are being taken to provide abundant parking lots for the shoppers and commuters who come to Pune Cantonment area on a daily basis," he added.
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