PANAJI:
The pay-parking contractor in the capital city on Thursday began charging parking fees along the 'smart road' from Bal Bhavan to the Caculo Mall junction, one of several zones notified by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) in the third phase of its city-wide pay parking plans.
Initially in the morning, employees of the contractor faced resistance from vehicle users who were caught unawares with the sudden implementation of pay parking on this road where the Campal Clinic/Criticare hospital is located.
Pay-parking signboards had been put up only a couple of days ago on this road, the first smart-road built as part of the Smart City projects back in 2022 but the signages went largely unnoticed.
This area is part of 13 sections of public roads which the CCP notified for charged parking in the third phase of its pay-parking plans in January this year. The other areas in this lot where the contractor is expected to begin charging for parking in the coming days include: GCCI Building Road near Azad Maidan, Govt Printing Press to CCP building, in the market area in front of Navhind Bhavan, road in front of Panaji Market entrance, road near Vidyut Bhavan, EDC headquarters, Junta House Road, Govinda Building, Boca de Vaca, Salwar Soja Garden-Mahalakshmi Mandir, Delmon Hotel Road, Navatara Hotel Road and the stretch from IDBI Bank to the 2STC Headquarters.
The contractor has to pay the CCP a consolidated Rs 1.62 crore for these 13 spaces over the next three years.
Meanwhile, despite objections and heated arguments during a Council meeting in June raised by councillors representing the Miramar area, the CCP has gone ahead with more pay parking zones in a 'fourth phase'.
However, the tendering process for the fourth phase areas has not yet been completed for these areas including the road stretch around the Maruti Mandir in Miramar, in St Inez along 18th June Road near Pharmacy College, at Tonca from the St Inez Church up to the Thomas Garage, the stretch of road from St Inez Cemetery to Madhuban Building and the road stretch from the Municipal Quarters to Kala Academy.
