Is Mullickbazar area a no-walk zone for pedestrians? Why else would the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) do away with the pavement on the eastern flank of AJC Bose Road, between Elliot Road and Park Street?
Unauthorised roadside garages, illegal parking and hawkers have claimed this stretch while the civic authorities have chosen to turn a blind eye. It is unsafe for senior citizens and children to walk down the eastern flank of AJC Bose Road on the stretch from the Nonapukur tram depot to Park Street.
Ironically, the biggest neuro-science centre in eastern India, the National Neuroscience Centre (NNC), is set to come up on this stretch in August. The CMC and the state government are partners in the project. Several thousand people will visit once it starts functioning. But the current state of affairs in the area is far from encouraging.
Illegal parking lots and makeshift garages dot the area. Ragpickers also pose problems for pedestrians. The CMC garbage vat and payloaders occupy more space.
Motorists pay Rs 10 per hour to illegally park their cars in the area. Even night parking is allowed.
Where does the money go? Traffic policemen posted on the stretch and the civic authorities will only say that they are unaware of a parking lot in the area.
This stretch of AJC Bose Road is one of the busiest commercial hubs in the city surrounded by half a dozen renowned English-medium schools. An elderly man, Mohammad Aslam, who was parking his car there, said: "I always park my car here by paying whatever they ask for. You should not ask me why I am parking my car here since before asking me, you must ask the government why auto stands are allowed right on the carriageways in the city. Do you think if I don't park my car here the practice of parking cars here will stop?"
Sweta Agarwal, whose children study in schools in the area, said: "It's really difficult to catch a bus during the morning hours here. There is always a scramble among autos, buses, mini buses, trams, taxis and cars. Most of the days my children are late for school. I leave my Gariahat residence about an hour before their schools start but most of the days I'm stuck in the stretch between Park Street junction and Bamboovilla."
As encroachment increases, the crime rate also spirals. People drink in the open and snatching and extortion are common. Officers from Beniapukur police station seldom visit the area. In most cases, incidents of snatching, extortion or hounding by drunks go unrecorded as it is difficult for pedestrians to find Beniapukur police station.
CMCspeak: "It is true that the pavement has been removed from the eastern flank of AJC Bose Road. We have not reconstructed it owing to pressure from some residents. They told us pavements are used by hawkers, pavement dwellers and ruffians. But if the authorities of the upcoming NNC ask us to build a pavement we will surely do that," said the chief engineer of social sector development in the CMC.
"As far as I know, no fee parking zone has been allotted by the CMC on the stretch. It is the duty of the police to prevent illegal parking because fee parking zones are ear-marked in consultation with the city traffic police wing," said chief manager (parking) of the CMC, Atindra Chakraborty.
"Unless police stop unauthorised parking, it is not possible to reconstruct the pavement there," said civil director-general P.K. Dhua.
"For the convenience of the police, we have introduced identity cards and dress code for the attendants of authorised parking zones. It is now easy to identify illegal operators. If the police still cannot round up illegal operators we have nothing to do," said mayoral council member Faiyaz Ahmed Khan.
No comments:
Post a Comment