Despite the authorities harping on taking stringent action against unauthorised parking, like most other promises, it remains as mere lip service. One of the worst affected is the illegal parking on on the Canal Road, near a private hospital at Kaloor. Driving along the stretch has become a Herculean task, with four-wheelers parked on either side of the road, topped by heavy showers.
To make matters worse, the Kochi Corporation is planning to reintroduce authorised parking on the road.
“We have informed the traffic police of the unauthorised parking and though action has been taken the menace persists. Hence we are planning to introduce authorised parking,” said Division Councillor Gracy Joseph. She said many pocket roads in the city have become safe havens for parking. “If illegal parking cannot be stopped why can’t we turn the area into a parking zone,” she asks.
According to sources, the punishment is too mild which only paves the way for illegal parking.
“Violators have to either pay fine or take the issue to court. As the latter is time-consuming and expensive, a fine of Rs100 is the preferred choice. Besides, the authorities do not take any stringent measures,” sources said.
Radhakrishnan who works in a private office, near the Canal Road, said the road is heavily congested with four-wheelers which makes it difficult to manoeuvre.
“There have been instances when we could not ride our two-wheelers towards the office due to crowded parking,” he said. Often it has lead to tiffs among vehicle owners. Once a vehicle tyre was deflated but the issue was resolved soon,” the locals said.
RTO B J Antony said that the Motor Vehicle Department could intervene only the zone is notified as ‘no parking’. Despite being notified, neither the Traffic Police nor the Motor Vehicle Department have come forward to initiate strict action against the offenders.