MARGAO
Will the authorities finally rid the public spaces in the heart of the commercial capital, including the area around the Margao Municipal building and the new market area, from the rent-a-bikes and the rent-a-cars, occupying prime parking space when the city is witnessing parking space constraint?
A meeting of senior officials of the RTO, Traffic and Margao Municipal Council, which was surprisingly conducted closed doors in the chamber of Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, discussed threadbare the issue of rent-a-cars occupying parking space in the heart of the town.
The Presidents of the New Market Association Vinod Shirodkar and Gandhi Market Association Rajendra Ajgaonkar also attended the meeting and are believed to have insisted that the prime parking space around the markets and the municipal building should be freed from the rent-a-bikes and rent-a-cars.
In fact, Vinod Shirodkar told after the meeting that he has point blank brought to the notice of the RTO, Traffic and MMC officials that the parking spaces are occupied by the rent-a-bikes before the market traders descend in the market in the morning.
RTO Officer Jimmy Rebello told the waiting media after the meeting that the RTO would conduct a survey of the areas in the heart of the town to find out the number of rent-a-bikes and cars parked in the public spaces. He, however, made it categorically clear that the licence conditions mandate the owners of rent-a-bikes and rent-a-cars to park their vehicles at the place of their residence or office. “A survey of the vehicles will unravel the extent of the problem,” he said.
Besides RTO officer, the meeting was attended by DySP Traffic Prabodh Shirwaikar, Traffic PI Gautam Salunke, Margao Police station in-charge, PI Tulsidas Naik, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Manuel Barretto, Municipal Engineer Manoj Arsekar, councillor Mahesh Amonkar and others.
The meeting also discussed the issue of abandoned vehicles all around the city posing nuisance and traffic bottlenecks.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar later told the media that the MMC would act after the officials submit the report of the survey on the matter. He also said the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat will also be taken into confidence on the matter.
Damu, however, said he has learnt for the first time from the RTO and Traffic officials that the rent-a-cars and rent-a-bikes are mandated to park their vehicles at their residence or office. “We are not against anyone eking a livelihood on the rent-a-car bikes business. But, we have received complaints from the public including our councillor Mahesh Amonkar demanding action against the rent-a-bikes being parked around the MMC building. We will initiate action after the survey,” he added.
Questions are being raised why the authorities, including the RTO and Traffic, besides the MMC, have been going slow in cracking a whip, against the rent-a-bikes when these bikes are being parked over the years right under the nose of the City Fathers and Municipal babus.
