Vehicles parked on the footpath outside a shopping mall in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 16: Lack of proper coordination between the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the police has aggravated parking problem in the city, especially near malls.

While a mall at Jayadev Vihar is using the footpath as parking space for two-wheelers, another at Bidyut Marg is violating parking norms.

The mall in Jaydev Vihar area has devised a convenient formula as four-wheelers are parked in front of the building and the security personnel are diverting two-wheelers to the footpath and the cycle track next to it.

According to traffic rules, the footpath and cycle track should be free from any vehicular obstruction, but the person managing the zone comes with an answer showing a document issued by the civic body on January 21. The document shows that the corporation authorities have provided him a sketch demarcating the parking area, including the footpath and the cycle track.

There is also another letter from the traffic cops, dated March 8, which asks the civic authorities to change the map as the use of footpath and cycle track will violate the pedestrians’ rights and affect movement of elderly and kids.

The same letter also shows that the traffic authorities have issued warnings to a mall near Patia Square for blocking the road with illegal parking. Even a prominent office building near Xavier Square is using the road for illegal parking.

The letter has also identified illegal parking spots near a private clinic at Unit IV and in front of Exhibition Ground between Ram Mandir and Housing Board Square.

It has urged BMC to take note and sign parking lease accordingly.

While the corporation officials said lease for the Jayadev Vihar mall parking had clearly indicated the traffic clause not to use footpath and cycle track, they could not provide any clue why the parking contractor was never given the “right drawing”.

“The drawing with the contractor could be the one done by the land official who does not know the ground realities,” said a senior officer, adding “if the violation involves traffic rules, the traffic police should take up the case and action.”

A senior traffic cop said: “The civic body has a special squad to monitor violations at BMC parking lots. If a parking contractor is violating city traffic norms, they should have raided the site and if possible sought our help, but nothing has happened till date which shows that the squad is not properly working. We have given guidelines for the civic authorities regarding the parking lots and they are generating money from the zones. Therefore, a constant supervision by the officials is necessary. Recently, police have put two prominent boards declaring the area as no traffic zone.”