THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have warned of recommending the cancellation of driving licenses of those who park vehicles illegally on National Highway 66. The decision was taken after heavy traffic congestion was reported in the Kazhakoottom-Eanchakkal stretch of the NH 66 on Christmas day. Traffic snarl-ups were reported on the stretch on Sunday too, though the intensity was not as severe as that on Saturday.
The stretch witnessed heavy congestion mostly due to obstructive parking near Lulu mall in Akkulam. The resultant serpentine traffic jam extended for several kilometres completely disrupting vehicular movement along the thoroughfare and the pocket roads. It was the mad rush of the customers to the recently opened Lulu mall that threw the traffic completely out of gear. The vehicles were parked on both sides of the National Highway and on service lanes. As per the police records, about 5,000 vehicles were parked illegally on the roads outside the mall.
The mall has a capacity to park 3,500 vehicles, but the police said the facility to park only 2,000 vehicles is currently open. As an introductory offer, the mall has announced free parking for vehicles too. “When the parking area of the mall was full, the customers who came for shopping began parking their vehicles outside. Even the Chackai flyover was not spared. Around 80 cops and traffic wardens had to be placed to resolve the deadlock and it took more than two hours to ease the traffic snarl-up,” said a police officer who was on duty there.
Deputy Commissioner Vaibhav Saxena said a stringent approach will be adopted against those who park vehicles in an obstructive manner along the highway. “The vehicles that obstruct traffic will be taken off the road using cranes. If the situation demands, cases will be taken against people who resort to such practices,” he said.