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| Police personnel carry out a drive on unauthorised parking at Fancy Bazar on Thursday. Picture by UB Photos |
Dec. 8: City traffic police today translated its warning into action, cracking down on unauthorised parking at Fancy Bazar, the region’s trade hub and collected fines amounting to Rs 7,000 from at least 40 flouters.
The crackdown was launched three days after the department appealed to residents and business establishments in and around Fancy Bazar and served an ultimatum to arrange parking space for their own vehicles. A traffic police team led by Panbazar traffic division officer-in-charge Madan Kalita launched the crackdown this morning and collected fines from those found double parking and unauthorised parking outside the parking spaces allotted by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC).
“Since Monday we had gone on rounds of Fancy Bazar, Panbazar and Machkhowa and appealed to the people over microphones to stop parking their vehicles on the roadside. But, today, we found many paying no heed to our appeal. So, we imposed spot fines of Rs 500 for illegal parking of four-wheelers and Rs 300 for bikes. We will continue the drive until traffic in the business centre is streamlined,” a traffic police officer said.
There are four authorised parking slots at SS Road, SRCB Road, MS Road and HB Road where about 500 cars and two-wheelers can be parked. But many cars and two-wheelers are found parked outside the authorised parking places, creating congestion in the area and creating inconvenience to thousands of shoppers and traders.
“Despite appeals in the last three days people still are violating traffic norms and double parking. As there is a parking lot crunch, people living at Fancy Bazar should arrange for parking inside the compounds of their houses and stop parking their cars and two-wheelers in front of their gates. Already, Fancy Bazar and the adjoining areas are facing space crunch for parking and people should help us. Providing parking place is the job of GMC and our job is to enforce the traffic norms,” said the officer.
Traffic police would also carry out similar drives in the adjoining areas of Panbazar, Lakhtokia, Machkhowa and Jail Road to streamline traffic and reduce congestion.
The traders, however, rued that the drive was not logical as the civic authorities failed to provide parking space in the business hub.
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