More than a month back we wrote about roadside parking. Maybe, the concerned authorities did not read the editorial and public reactions to that or they give a damn to suggestions from either the media or the public. Most of the roads in Imphal continue to be heavily congested and massive traffic jams occur at busy intersections most frequently at the rotary traffic island in front of the Western gate of Kangla. Why these congestions occur? It is because of the roadside parking. Although the Paona Bazar and Thangal Bazar main roads have became wider, traffic goes at snail speed because of the roadside parkings which supposedly generates revenue for the Imphal Municipal Council. Not only these two main roads but other roads and lanes within the Khwairamband are equally busy because of roadside parking. Traffic is very slow at the Kangla park stretch of the National Highway because of parking lots for diesel autos on either side, while traffic jams occur frequently at the busy intersection in front of the western gate of Kangla. It is simply because of the slow traffic movement on the stretch and poor traffic management. Outside the Khwairamband Bazar area, the road leading to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) from Nagamapal is always congested, because of the roadside parking. The basic principle of introducing roadside parking is that it generates revenue for the municipal authorities, which is simply one-sided. After months of ‘pedestrian only’ experiment in the Paona Bazar and Thangal Bazar roads, the state Cainet had given in to the pressures exerted by the powerful business lobby and finally opted for the former regulation of free entry and parking of vehicles in the core area of the Bazar besides parking for the residents of the Bazar in June this year. We had consistently supporting the ‘pedestrian only’ regulation within the limits of the Bazar area. A market is meant mainly for the common people and ordinary shoppers. We need to take into account the elite and neo-rich while framing policies also, but the main emphasis should be on the welfare of the common people. It is mainly people from other towns and villages that are flocking the city. We had even suggested that the main streets of Paona Bazar and Thangal Bazar be made a completely pedestrian zone while allowing vehicles to pass through the other streets of Bazar area. But the entire Bazar area should be completely free of parking lots or spaces. We understand the fact that people living in the Bazar area had suffered and their businesses suffered, besides dislocation in their personal lives. But the roads cannot be used for facilitating their businesses. The state has already allotted private parking spaces just outspaces, whetherside the core market area along the Naga Nullah, and a large parking lot inside the Bazar at the place which used to be the temporary market shed. Why is it necessary for the Bazar residents and people working at the Bazar to park their vehicles inside the core area. Our opinion is simple. If they want to do business within the Bazar area they have to create their own parking spaces in the buildings that they are doing business to accommodate both their own vehicles and for their customers and they should not even think of using the roadside which is public space. There are several banks in the Bazar area, but they have no parking spaces which are hampering traffic movement. Look at the Mahatma Gandhi Avenue road. More than half of the road is used up in both single and double parking. One can bear the entry and free flow of vehicles on the roads and lanes of the Khwairamband Bazar. But, roadside parking, the public cannot accept. Our opinion is the same in the case of the busy RIMS road. There are several private hospitals and clinics, besides a LPG distributor agency. As none of them have their own parking spaces the RIMS road which had been made wider now is busy due to the roadside parking. If they want to run hospitals or clinics or businesses it is for them to create their own parking whether it be underground or ground floor parking in their own business area. If they cannot create such parking spaces within their own buildinds or areas, they should not be allowed to run businesses in the area and on the roads. The public may come up with public interest litigations in this regard.
