Parking woes log out state capital - Too little space, too few Watchdogs, too many vehicles

Vehicles in front of Hotel Arya and (bottom) the parking lot at Eylex multiplex. Pictures by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Sept. 14: As mobility increases, so do parking woes in the state capital.

Sample this: Ramzan Ali, a biker was stopped midway and asked: “Kahan jaana hai?” Ali said: “Reliance Fresh.” Ali was immediately stopped by Pankaj Kumar, a guard, asking visitors like Ali to park vehicles in place allotted to the retail giant for parking. But as the recently-opened multiplex, Eylex, is in the same building, there are parking confusions galore for visitors. “Parking is a problem for visitors to the Reliance Fresh outlet. As it is near the multiplex, the parking space gets congested,” said Siyaram Tiwari, a contractor, with a bagful of vegetables purchased from the retail outlet.

Although there is a paid parking system at Eylex, where at least 14 people work in two shifts to manage the vehicles of movie buffs, it hardly helps visitors at the Reliance Fresh outlet.

Near Hotel Chinar, homemaker Rita Kumari was seen jostling amid 50-60 two-wheelers to find the exit point. “There should be an adequate parking space in front since the shopping plaza Kashmir Vastralay exists in the same building,” she said. Even the hotel’s entrance remains jammed. Often, four-wheelers are parked outside the allotted space, jamming the Main Road. “If we find more four-wheelers than the allotted five to six, owners are asked to park elsewhere,” said the hotel’s guard Dinesh Singh.

With restaurants dotted on Main Road, the problem gets acute, especially in the evenings. Traffic superintendent of police Daddanjee Sharma could not be contacted for comments.