Citizens suffering due to roadside parking across the civic areas can expect some relief in the future as the civic body will be initiating a survey to identify commercial establishments illegally using their parking space and demolish them.
“It is the responsibility of the commercial establishments to provide parking to their visitors. However, many of these establishments have not done so and their visitors are parking on the road. This often leads to traffic problems. The move has been made to make sure that the roads are not congested,” Vikas Dhakane, additional commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said.
According to PMC officials, the civic administration has carried out action against many such establishments earlier too, but the illegal constructions, keep making a comeback. Food joints, offices, tea stalls, cabins, storage facilities, shops and other commercial activities are carried out in the parking lots.
“The civic administration has also filed criminal offences against some of the property owners, who have repeatedly flouted the norms. It has proved to be a deterrent in many cases. Even then, some continue to illegally use the parking spaces for commercial purposes,” a senior PMC official said.
As per the civic officials, complaints around parking issues have come from Karve road, Nagar road, Satara road, Sinhagad road, peth areas, FC road, JM road, Aundh and Balewadi.
“Finding a space to park becomes very tough when visiting a hotel, mall or any commercial property. During the weekends it gets worst,” Manasi Kulkarni, a resident of Kothrud said.
The residents pointed out that parking spaces are also prone to fire mishaps. The kitchens of the food joints, electrical connections for the commercial establishments can often trigger fires. Most of these establishments have no safety measures in place as they are illegal and no one keeps a check on them.
