15 March,2014 08:09 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
MMRDA, MMOPL say despite repeated complaints, traffic police department is yet to initiate action against offenders, claim haphazardly parked vehicles will lead to traffic chaos once the metro becomes operational
Exploited: Four-wheelers, including lorries, can be seen parked under the metro rail stretch from Sakinaka to Jagruti Nagar station at Asalpha in Ghatkopar along the VAG corridor. Pics/ Emmanual Karbhari
Adding to the ever-increasing list of structures under which the space has been encroached by motorists, converting them into illegal parking lots, the yet to be inaugurated Versova-Andheri- Ghatkopar (VAG) metro rail corridor is the latest victim.
Exploited: Four-wheelers, including lorries, can be seen parked under the metro rail stretch from Sakinaka to Jagruti Nagar station at Asalpha in Ghatkopar along the VAG corridor. Pics/ Emmanual Karbhari
A surprise visit to the stretch between Sakinaka to Asalpha revealed that the problem was grave. If not resolved in time, this could result in ugly traffic jams on this stretch of the road in the future. Surprisingly, the problem of illegal parking persists despite MMRDA and Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) claiming to have brought the issue to the notice of the traffic police department on several occasions in the past.
An MMRDA official said, "We have been complaining about the illegal parking under the metro rail corridor, especially between Sakinaka and Asalpha to the traffic police department, regularly. But they have done nothing till date. Once the road is fully operational, these illegally parked vehicles will inconvenience motorist heading from LBS Marg to Jagruti Nagar station by creating unwanted traffic jams."
mid-day had also reported about how the slum dwellers from the area had allegedly rendered the flowerbeds, constructed on the divider, useless by dumping debris into them.
A guard posted along this stretch said, "Motorists never pay heed to our requests and park haphazardly. They even threaten us at times. I have also seen drug addicts congregating during nighttime, which is not good."
