Appearance of ‘no parking’ boards on internal roads irks Punekars

Parking is a major problem for thousands of Punekars staying in the old Peth areas as there is inadequate parking space in the building premises and they are forced to park their vehicles on internal roads in the area

For Sathe Colony residents, the sudden appearance of ‘no parking’ boards on internal roads in the area has come as a shock, reason being they were parking their vehicles on these very roads till recently owing to parking issues in the old Peth areas of the city.

For Sathe Colony residents, the sudden appearance of ‘no parking’ boards on internal roads in the area has come as a shock, reason being they were parking their vehicles on these very roads till recently owing to parking issues in the old Peth areas of the city. (HT PHOTO)

Area resident Atul Namekar said, “We are staying in Sathe Colony for the past 10 years and it is a very peaceful area with a small Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) garden. As it is in the heart of the city, there is a shortage of parking in every building due to which most residents park their vehicles on internal roads in the area. Suddenly, we are seeing ‘no parking’ boards installed by the PMC or traffic police department since the past few days. We are shocked as apart from the locals, hundreds of people including senior citizens visit the garden daily to walk or exercise and they need parking space.”

“Our demand is that boards put up on the main internal roads be removed and that other such boards put up in the side lanes be kept as there are people coming from outside who park their cars for days at a stretch. Also, illegal activities are seen here. However, at least the boards outside the garden gate should be removed and accordingly, we have submitted a letter with all our signatures to the Pune traffic police department on Thursday,” Namekar said.

Senior citizen Jyoti Shah said, “We regularly come to walk in this garden and my husband parks his vehicle outside the garden on the road. If these internal roads are transformed into ‘no parking’ zones, where will the citizens park their vehicles.”

Parking is a major problem for thousands of Punekars staying in the old Peth areas as there is inadequate parking space in the building premises and they are forced to park their vehicles on internal roads in the area.

When contacted, Rohidas Pawar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said, “We are conducting a survey of the Peth areas and the old city where it is necessary to implement a ‘no parking’ zone. We will carry out a survey and if locals demand that the ‘no parking’ boards be removed on certain internal roads, we will consider their request.”