No parking spaces, Mandi residents a harried lot
Dipender Manta
Mandi, July 15
Mandi town lacks parking facilities for locals as well as those who come from outside. As a result, a large number of vehicles can be seen parked on roadsides in the town at various places such as Jail Road Mandi, School Bazaar, Mangvain and hospital road. This results in inconvenience to pedestrians as well as motorists.
People hassled in emergencies
We had suggested the authorities to rope in IIT-Mandi to find out solutions to this problem but nothing materialised. Parking vehicles even during emergencies is a big problem in the town. P Kapoor, president, Citizens Council, Mandi
Roadside parking results in traffic snarls, which forces police authorities to challan vehicles. Residents of the town have been pressing the Mandi Municipal Corporation to develop adequate parking lots for their convenience, but nothing has been done.
OP Kapoor, president of Citizens Council, Mandi, said, “Parking has become a major issue in Mandi. The number of vehicles is increasing every year but we don’t have enough parking lots to accommodate them.
Citizens Council has been pressing the government as well as the urban local body for many years to develop parking lots inside and outside the town.
However, little has been done in this regard.
“Traffic congestion in the town is also due to the non-availability of parking lots on the outskirts of the town. The foundation stone of two parking lots was laid but the projects could not see the light of the day due to one reason or the other,” Kapoor said.
“We had suggested the authorities concerned to rope in IIT-Mandi experts to find solution to the problem but nothing materialised. Parking vehicles at the time of emergency is a huge problem in the town, which needs to be addressed on a priority. Parking in the zonal hospital is a nightmare. We have taken up this issue many times with Rogi Kalyan Samiti and the Chief Medical Officer but no solution has been found,” he added.
Narender Saini, a resident, said besides developing parking lots in Mandi town, there was a need to make it mandatory for residents to have their own parking facility before purchasing a new car.
Virender Bhatt, Deputy Mayor of Mandi Municipal Corporation, said, “A parking facility with a capacity of 600 vehicles is under construction at the school bazaar area. A sum of Rs 1 crore has been sanctioned for a parking lot at Purani Mandi.”
