24 August,2011 08:48 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Only one school responds to cops' appeal to educational institutions to lend their open space for vehicle parking
Parking woes during the Ganesh festival may be no different this year, despite police efforts to make it otherwise. Their appeals to educational institutions to lend their open spaces as parking lots for the 10-day festival has received lukewarm response with just one school replying in the affirmative so far.
Spaced out: Creating parking space for devotees who throng the
Ganapatiu00a0 mandal during the 10-day festival has become a major concern
for the police. file pic
MiD DAY contacted three police stations to check if the educational institution in their area had replied to their proposal asking them to make their open spaces available to thousands of spectators who come to watch the tableaus presented by Ganesh mandals. With less than seven days left for the Ganesh festival, only one educational institute has agreed to the proposal.
To ensure the safety and security of people, no vehicles will be allowed within 100m from the pandal. This may cause vehicles to spill out on the roads, leading to traffic snarls.u00a0The question is what will be the next course of action to tackle the traffic congestion now that only one school has consented to give its space so far.
The Vishrambaug Police station, which has Babu Genu Mandal, Shriman Dagdu Halwai Mandal and Jilbya Maruti Mandal under its jurisdiction, had contacted S P College, Gogate Prashala in Narayan Peth, New English School Ramanbaug and New English School Tilak Road. But so far, not one has acquiesced to the proposal.
There was some consolation for the Faraskhana police with the RCM Gujarati School consenting to give its space. The Kasba Ganapati, Navgraha Mitra Mandal, Jai Maharashtra Tarun Mandal in Budhwar Peth, Veer hanuman Mitra Mandal, Budhwar Peth come under the jurisdiction of the Faraskhan police.
"We have received a long list from the Pune police, enumerating the schools to be made available for parking lots. But we cannot provide them with all the schools. For two reasons, one there are no parking space available in most of the schools and secondly, we need to identify exactly the areas in which parking during Ganapati festival is really an issue and schools with grounds in those areas might be given," said Sangeeta Tiwari, chairperson of PMC Education Board.
