Pune: Residents of Baner have alleged widespread encroachment of footpaths and harassment by restaurant and bar staff over the issue of patron parking. On Saturday evening, Manoj Dharap, an IT professional, was allegedly verbally harassed and threatened by staff at The Gulmohar Bar & Curry House on Baner Road after he began photographing cars double-parked in front of the establishment.Dharap recounted a harrowing experience: “I was walking toward my two-wheeler when a bus passed so close I narrowly escaped being hit. When I tried to step onto the footpath, it was blocked by parked cars. With double-parking on the road as well, pedestrians have no choice but to walk in the middle of traffic. When I started taking pictures, bouncers from the hotel confronted me and told me I wasn’t allowed to take photos.”Dharap further alleged that while the ‘bouncers’ used aggressive language, a manager intervened only to threaten him with a counter-complaint for recording the scene. “One of them followed me to my vehicle, saying, ‘Do whatever you want, we will see you.’ It was only when I started recording a video that they became slightly more polite. Residents are frustrated; between Metro work and bars using footpaths as private parking, there is no space left for us,” he added.Local resident Sarang Wable noted that this was not an isolated incident. “There have been five or six such cases recently, but many residents are too intimidated by the threat of legal battles to approach the police. We have supported Mr. Dharap, and now a group of us will gather at the Baner Police Station this Friday at 8 PM to register a formal complaint,” Wable said.The senior management of The Gulmohar Bar & Curry House told TOI that they have leased a nearby private plot for parking. However, an official admitted that some cars are occasionally parked outside temporarily due to the five-minute turnaround time for valet services.In a follow-up statement, the management claimed that ongoing Metro construction has left the adjoining footpath “dug up and largely unusable,” leading various commuters to park there. “The stretch is not owned, controlled, or designated by Gulmohar as an official parking area,” the statement read.Regarding the confrontation, the management clarified: “Our manager’s intention was only to convey that guests might feel uncomfortable having their vehicles photographed. The interaction unfortunately escalated and may have been perceived wrongly. We do not deploy bouncers to mistreat the public. To ensure such situations do not recur, we have completely discontinued the use of that stretch for any parking and arranged an alternate private plot.“An official from the Baner Police Station’s traffic department confirmed they are aware of the issue. “We have spoken to the victim and requested him to register a formal complaint. Baner Road is a strict ‘No Parking’ zone. We have been taking consistent action against those parking on footpaths and have instructed hotels not to use public walkways for customer vehicles,” the official said.
