E-Paper
Citizens face parking problems at Wakdewadi ST bus stop
The situation has worsened ever since the ST bus stop was shifted from Shivajinagar to Wakdewadi two years ago as there is no proper connectivity to this bus stop
As there is no provision for parking at the Wakdewadi state transport (ST) bus stop, citizens opting to pick-up/drop their relatives and friends from/to the bus stop are forced to park their vehicles on the service road nearby only to find police action having been taken against their vehicles upon returning. The situation has worsened ever since the ST bus stop was shifted from Shivajinagar to Wakdewadi two years ago as there is no proper connectivity to this bus stop.
Vivek Patil recalled his harrowing experience saying, “I went to drop my parents at the Wakdewadi ST bus stop. I parked my car on the service road and just went to drop their bags inside the ST bus. There was a long queue and by the time I returned, the police had put jammers on my car. I asked the police to show me a place where I could have parked my car. They admitted that there was no parking facility…”
Sheetal Shewale said, “I dropped my kids at the Wakdewadi ST bus stop. As I could not find any place to park my bike, I parked it on the service road only to see it having been picked up by the police upon returning. Meanwhile, auto-rickshaw drivers and private cab drivers had parked their vehicles haphazardly but the police were not bothering them.”
A ST bus depot officer on condition of anonymity said, “Ideally, there should be a parking facility at every ST bus stop. But Wakdewadi was a temporary arrangement to begin with so there is no parking facility. As autos and cabs charge a lot, many Punekars come to the bus stop to pick-up or drop their loved ones. It’s unfortunate they have to face police action.”
A traffic policeman on duty said on condition of anonymity, “Actually, we too feel bad imposing fines. The bus ticket is hardly Rs200 to Rs500 but citizens are forced to pay more than Rs500 for illegal parking. However, if we do not take action, citizens will park their vehicles just anywhere and disturb the main road traffic. It is not our job to create a parking space…”
Rashmi Chougule said, “Instead of taking action against vehicles, the police should ensure that private vehicles get parking space on the service road without disturbing the main road traffic. Citizens come here for hardly five to ten minutes just to pick-up or drop their loved ones…”
