Gurgaon: Residents blame authorities for parking woes in city

Residents said the traffic police has yet to take steps to deal with the issue of illegal parking in the city

On a day the state government ordered the police in Gurgaon and Faridabad to ensure that vehicles are parked at designated places as part of measure to check pollution, hundreds of commuters and residents continued to bear the brunt of snarls on Golf Course Road, MG Road, Sohna Road and several sectors near commercial complexes and hospitals. The snarls were blamed on unauthorised parking of vehicles on both sides of the roads.

The RWA members representing housing complexes on MG Road said they repeatedly approached senior police officers and the authorities to resolve the parking issue. (Parveen Kumar/HT FILE)

Members of the residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) alleged that despite repeated pleas, the city traffic police has been dragging its feet in the matter and has not taken a single step in resolving the issue.

The RWA members representing housing complexes on MG Road said they repeatedly approached senior police officers and the authorities to resolve the parking issue. They said there’s always a frenetic jostling for commuting space on MG Road and blamed it on unauthorised parking outside malls in the area. They said visitors to more 10 shopping malls in the area park their vehicles illegally, encroaching road space and impeding the movement of vehicles. They said regular congestion on the stretch, drives pollution levels to disconcerting heights puts the health of commuters at risk.

“People visiting malls don’t park their cars in designated parking lots and park them, instead, on the road or service lane. It affects the movement of traffic. Even traffic officers deployed in the area seldom tow away vehicles parked illegally. The menace is getting bigger by the day,” Rajeev Sinha, president, RWA, Essel Towers, at MG Road, said.

They also said that authorities should consider reducing the parking charges.

The road leading from sectors 56 to 40 sees congestion throughout the day due to illegal parking on both sides. Sanjay Jha (67), a resident of Abhinandan Apartments in Sector 51, said he has written to the Gurgaon traffic police as well as to other civic authorities several times, seeking action, but nothing happened.

“It is annoying to see visitors parking their cars on both sides of the road, as it reduces commuting space. There is hardly any space left for residents to move, as the volume of traffic is high on the road and so is the count of visitors to hospitals.”

The condition of Sohna road has also evoked worry. Residents said that visitors park their vehicles on the service lane, often for long hours. They said senior citizens are the worst-hit, as they are unable to navigate the stretch during the rush hour.

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“Evening is the worst time for residents, as the service lane is choked and there is no space to manouvre our cars. Often, we find it difficult to even cross the stretch on foot,” Jaideep Singh, a resident of Uniworld Gardens, said.

“We carry out regular drives across the city to ensure smooth traffic.Such drives will go a long way in resolving the issue. We are working with the Huda (Haryana urban development authority) and MCG (Municipal Corporation of Gurugram) officials and the issues will be resolved soon,” Deepak Gahlawat, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said.