Solan: Removed from NH, taxi, tipper operators seek parking space

Solan, May 2

The local taxi and tipper owners have urged the district administration to provide them a parking space after their vehicles were removed from the Shimla-Kalka National Highway for idle parking, following the high court orders.

A delegation of the Taxi and Tipper Union led by Rajeev Kaura, Councillor from Ward 14 and former deputy mayor of Solan Municipal Corporation, have met the Deputy Commissioner and apprised him of their problem that they do not have space to park their vehicles.

Notably, the district administration had initiated a campaign to rid the highway of idle parking. More than 900 vehicles were challaned during the exercise.

Before the police initiated the challaning drive, a large part of the service lane at Samlech on the Solan-Kumarhati stretch was occupied by these parked vehicles leaving a little space for motorists.

There are about 70 taxis and 25 tippers in the town. After the police crackdown, they were finding it difficult to run their business as they had no space to park vehicles in the town, said operators, while demanding the parking space near the underpass and at other suitable locations.

“In 2021, the SDM had asked the tipper union to use a plot near vehicle showrooms at Samlech for parking, but a junk dealer had piled up scrap there. Though the area falls under the Municipal Corporation, it was not getting any rent,” said Ward 14 Councillor Rajeev Kaura.

Solan DC Manmohan Sharma said the SDM has been asked to identify parking places in the city to facilitate the taxi and tipper operators.

He added that small parking lots can be allotted to the operators across the town.

The operators, however, lamented that they were being issued challans on a daily basis wherever they parked their vehicles in the town. They said as they were forced to move 5-6 km from the town to park their vehicles, locals would have to incur additional costs to avail their services and this was hitting their business.