Bhubaneswar: The civic body and city police have jointly identified 400-plus ‘no parking zones’ in the capital to regulate haphazard parking and decongest thoroughfares and localities.Of the total 400, police have identified 21 of the most important stretches, while the ones Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has earmarked are small ones and many of them institutional.Elucidating the arrangement, additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Dash said, “In a letter to DCP, Bhubaneswar, we have handed over the towing services to the city police. But regarding parking enforcement, we have selected lots most of which will be free of parking any type of vehicle. The list will be available with the police also. But for public convenience, we will put out the list of parking lots on the BMC website as well.”Dash added that police have put up no parking boards at several identified stretches but strangely, the places are full of vehicles.BMC officials said they have worked out a formula jointly to regulate parking and it will be made workable soon. “While it is now the lookout of the police to strictly implement enforcement by towing vehicles violating norms, we would select, maintain and oversee parking operations and revenue,” explained a BMC officer.“Once towing vehicles pass particular ‘no parking’ stretches, people assume that they won’t return to tow again and hence, park their vehicles those places only,” said a senior police officer.The ‘no-parking zones’ identified by the city police are the ones involving longer stretches and the ones identified by BMC are an assortment of small and long spaces at multiple locations. However, BMC officials said ‘no-parking zones’ are dynamic in nature and can be altered considering changing circumstances like pedestrian traffic and vehicular movement.Four-wheelers are fined Rs 1,000 for every offence, while two-wheeler owners mostly have to pay Rs 100 to the city police through cash or card against receipts issued through hand-held machines.BMC officials said in all 67 wards, no-parking zones have been identified and they will be designated with earmarking and signboards with dos and don’ts will be metioned in later stage,” said additional commissioner Dash added.Chaotic parking of vehicles, both motorcycles and cars, in Bhubaneswar has long been a sticky issue, which apart from causing eyesore, leads to traffic snarls and congestion. Barring the ‘smart-looking’ Janpath, where the roadside earmarked space for parking is organised, parking if often considered a major headache at all other places such as shopping malls, markets and offices.He further added that if vehicles are parked in designated ‘no-parking’ zones, those would be towed away.
