COIMBATORE: Road users and motorists are irked over illegal barricades installed on the roadside on Pankaja Mills Road near Lakshmi Mills Junction, preventing the public from parking their two-wheelers. The public has slammed miscreants who placed them and police personnel who failed to take necessary action against those installing illegal barricades.
Numerous motorists were using the roadside space on Pankaja Mills Road outside Lulu Hypermarket as a two-wheeler parking facility. However, some miscreants have illegally installed bamboo poles, preventing motorists from parking their two-wheelers.
"The city already reels under a lack of parking spaces. Building owners putting up illegal barricades to stop two-wheelers from parking on the roadside is nothing but adding fuel to the fire," said R Kishore, a resident of Ramanathapuram. "Police must immediately arrest them and retrieve public parking spaces, not just on Pankaja Mill Road but across the city."
S Ravi Kannan, another motorist, alleged that the hypermarket management had installed bamboo barricades to prevent two-wheeler parking on the roadside, thereby forcing motorists to use the paid parking inside the hypermarket.
Meanwhile, a few others also claimed that a few auto drivers had put up the barricades in a bid to stop two-wheeler parking and turn the space into an auto stand, owing to the large crowd in the area. However, auto drivers claimed that the police had put up barricades owing to traffic congestion on the stretch caused by roadside parking.
When inquired, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S Ashok Kumar told TNIE, "Installing 'No Parking' signboards and preventing the public from parking their vehicles on the roadside without the police department's approval is an offence. No one can install 'No Parking' signboards outside their buildings without consent from the police. We shall look into the issue immediately and take necessary action."