Defunct cams, apathy mar Noida parking

Noida's prime market area, Sector 18, might have all shops and spots for all necessities, but it lacks a proper parking management system. In fact, the double-lane parallel parking leaves very little room for pedestrians to even walk. Also, most of the 60 CCTV cameras installed in the complex are non-functional, while 13 that work have no recording facility.

All these issues were tragically highlighted on Sunday evening, when a car being driven by a minor parking attendant ran over a 26-year-old pregnant woman, killing her instantly. The woman's husband is reportedly in a critical condition.

The car was allegedly being driven by a juvenile who was filling in for another attendant and did not even know how to drive. 'He was a child... 14 years of age. He was probably driving for the first time," said Rakesh Singhpuria, a parking attendant.

A day after the shocking incident, instead of being more stringently managed, the parking area was left unattended. Commuters had to park cars on their own risk. Rajesh Mishra, manager of parking attendants in the area, said they did not show up, fearing that if any such incident takes place again, they would be held responsible.

"We work very carefully. But if anything happens, then Mishra has to come in," said Pappu Kumar Singh, a parking attendant. When tried to reach him again, he had switched off his phone.

The Noida Authority authorises parking lots in the market. The manager refused to talk when a car, driven by the parking attendant, hit a couple Sunday night killing the pregnant women on the spot.

Also, the CCTV cameras installed in the area have not been working for a long time, and those that work don't have the recording facility. Of the 60 CCTV cameras, only 13 were found functioning, but without a recording facility. In the afternoon, two persons were seen repairing a camera. The technicians revealed that the locals cut the wires.

The juvenile attendant was trying to park the car when he lost control. The car first hit other cars, before slamming into the couple walking on the footpath. The woman, who was 8-month pregnant, died on the spot and her husband was admitted to the hospital. The accused was nabbed from the spot, where he was being beaten by a crowd. The car was removed from the accident spot on Monday afternoon.