KCB to start pay & park to ease congestion
The Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) has devised a strategy to raise funds for the development of the area under its jurisdiction, where encroachments and traffic congestion are a huge problem. The KCB plans to start a pay and park system in its jurisdiction, which it hopes will ease traffic congestion and stop encroachments.
After a long wait of almost ten years, the KCB has picked out nine spots in its area where the pay and park scheme will be implemented from September. These spots include survey number 108/A (parking area), Moledina Road up to Excelsior Talkies, Market square near fish market and the open plot near a bus stop.
KCB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amol Jagtap said, “Currently pay and park system is operated in all parts of the city and there’s no issue of following this practice in KCB area. Applications have been received for the tenders issued towards pay and park and will be finalised within a couple of weeks.” All the identified places will be fully operational as pay and park within a month, assured Jagtap.
Residents of the cantonment area will be given monthly parking passes for two-wheelers. “People from the board area unnecessarily use bikes even to a nearby distance adding up to the number of vehicles, resulting in traffic jams. Previously residents of Akashdeep housing society and vendors from Khadki business centre opposed the implementation of pay and park, but the issue has been solved now and we don’t have any opposition from them towards the implementation,” said the CEO.
Cantonment officials are conducting anti-encroachment drives regularly in the board area, but it was strongly opposed by the vendors. Some vendors have even abused and manhandled the board officials. Most of these vendors do business on the proposed parking lots resulting in no places for parking, which leads to haphazard parking of vehicles leading to congestion.
Nijanand Palankar, a shopkeeper from Khadki bazaar said, “Customers visiting our shops are left with no place for parking as the place is already occupied by the illegal hawkers. The situation is getting worse day by day and KCB is least bothered about it. If the pay and park is implemented, at least the roads in the board area will be free from this encroachment.”
Nitin Sarode, a resident of Khadki said, “I am happy that pay and park will be started in Khadki. Most of the times people don’t get place for parking their vehicles. The hawkers running their businesses illegally on the parking places, often quarrel with people over parking.”
vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com
Originally published on The Golden Sparrow
