In 2022, Municipality adopted a resolution at Council meeting according its nod to traffic cell proposal, but its fate remains unknown
Traffic has been increasing by the day in the commercial capital, but there’s been no corresponding measures to address parking issues.
MARGAO
It’s yet another year that Margao Municipal Council’s ambitious multi-level parking lot has failed to see light of the day till date since foundation stone for the project was laid in 2015.
Margao city fathers, municipal babus, besides agencies such as Traffic Police may have to answer a simple question – will the proposed multi-level parking lot, which may accommodate maximum of around 70 four-wheelers, resolve the burning parking issue plaguing the commercial capital?
And, whether the authorities have drawn up plans to address the parking woes considering that it may take months, if not a year, for the proposed parking lot to take shape?
Amidst concerns of parking woes worsening in the city with each passing day coupled with the inordinate delay in implementing the multi-level parking project, the Margao Traffic cell has sought to revive the long-pending pay parking proposal.
The proposal has been hanging fire for over two decades now, after former Youth Congress president Girish Chodankar and his workers opposed pay parking in the city with a symbolic motorcycle ride in the Municipal building right in the chamber of then BJP-backed Civic Chief Kamlini Painginkar, forcing the civic body to shelve the proposal.
In fact, a glance at the letter written to the Margao Municipal Council shows that the Margao traffic Cell has drawn up plans to revive the pay-parking proposal in the commercial capital, beginning with a couple of busy and congested roads, before extending the concept on other roads. Take note, the Margao Municipal Council had around two years ago in August 2022 adopted a resolution at the Council meeting according its nod for Margao Traffic Cell’s proposal for pay parking.
While the fate of the resolution as well as the file relating to the proposal remains unknown, the Audit had raised a query as to why the Margao Municipality had failed to tap the revenue potential from pay parking to boost revenue to enrich its coffers. Sadly, neither the Civic body has given effect to the resolution approving pay parking in the city nor has the Municipality accepting the suggestion of the Audit team to introduce pay parking to tap the huge revenue potential.
Why pay parking
alongside city roads?
An analysis conducted by the Traffic cell has revealed that most of the available parking spaces in heart of Margao city are not used to its optimum capacity. The analysis has found out that the parking spaces are mostly occupied by the owner/ employees of the commercial establishment, hotels shops for parking their own vehicles from early morning till their business are closed at end of the day, leaving the available parking lots occupied for full day.
In the bargain, the analysis pointed out that locals, tourist who come for shopping for an hour or so with their own or hired vehicles, do not get any parking space and sometimes they park their vehicles adjacent to existing parked vehicle (double parking) or corners of the road, thereby further adding to road congestion.
It has been found that parking scarcity has been further compounded by the fact that owners of commercial establishment having multiple vehicles parked in the parking space.
Objectives behind
pay parking
Realizing the increasing challenge posed by parking problem in the town and to make available parking spaces / areas viable, it is felt necessary to review the existing parking spaces by streamlining the same for creating more parking spaces in order to avoid/ reduce traffic congestion/ accidents.
The traffic cell’s proposal states that pay parking will provide parking facilities catering primarily to light motor vehicles such as 2 & 3 Wheelers, cars and jeeps.
It will offer systematic and properly managed parking facility with organized placement of vehicles with optimized utilization of parking spaces, with provision for adequate safety of vehicles and to positively create and generate employment via a medium of employment "Pay Parking Tax Collectors" for every identified Parking slots.
In this respect, the Traffic cell has proposed implementation of pay parking on a couple of main arterial routes and inter-connecting by-lanes, where traffic chaos is observed most of the day.
