It has now become a familiar sight to see metal barriers being placed in front of business premises in the marketplace in order to allow access for the customers visiting the shop. There appears to be no problem as long as the barrier is not placed in the parking lot which deprives vehicular owners of parking space when they visit the market. It is a fact that customers need to have easy access to the shops and residents to their homes. But it does not seem proper to install such barriers in public places if there is paucity of parking space. Such barriers can even cause inconvenience to pedestrians. Some establishments even have ‘No Parking’ boards installed in front of their premises. Does this not deprive vehicular owners their right to park their vehicles in public space? Shouldn’t there be a system in place whereby shop owners need to take permission from the respective civic body or panchayat to install such metal barriers or ‘No Parking’ boards? Alternatively the authorities could charge a certain fee for the shop owners to install such sign boards and barriers in public areas.
