PANAJI
A controversy of sorts is brewing on the streets of Panaji with the resumption of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) pay parking scheme when work on the roads is still incomplete and authorities have failed to put up boards displaying the chargeable fees.
Verbal clashes between vehicle users and marshals have become a common sight over the last few days in the area around the GarcÃa de Orta garden related to overcharging.
One such argument even landed on the desk of CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate.
An eyewitness of one such clash between the parking marshals and the public near the Municipal garden said that a four-wheeler owner refused to pay the parking charges, arguing that the section of the note board which had the rates printed was missing.
Monserrate admitted there were complaints but said no action can be taken unless there is a written complaint.
Elsewhere in areas where casino visitors park their vehicles, there have been complaints of overcharging, and marshals making up their own rates, including by the hour. Pay parking in Panaji had been suspended due to the ongoing smart city work on March 23 but resumed on May 31 this year.
Also in several areas parking rates displayed on boards are wiped out or broken and there have been allegations that the marshals charge vehicle users fees arbitrarily.
