Ponda municipality identifies 12 pay parking spots to contain traffic

Ponda: Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has identified 12 pay parking spaces to address parking issues as the city witnesses frequent traffic snarls due to the rise in vehicular traffic.

The areas identified by the municipality for the designated zones include city bus stand, Almeida High School area, Gaunekar building, police station, Kazi building, Bhawani Sadan to Upper Bazar and Ponda Tisk.


“We hope pay-parking will help reduce traffic obstructions in the city which is greatly needed, given the congestion,” said PMC chairperson Virendra Dhavalikar.

PMC has resolved to introduce the pay-parking facility across the town, charging Rs 5 per hour for two-wheelers and Rs 10 per hour for four-wheelers by March 2025.

In Dec 2023, the council had resolved to introduce pay parking, hoping that this move would deter motorists who occupy public spaces. Some use parking spaces the entire day.

Most motorists park their vehicles at the old bus stand or in the open space near the Ponda police station while going out of town for work, which leads to congestion with no space left for other motorists to park.

At Upper Bazar, motorists park their vehicles along the road, although parking spaces are available on the ground floor of the market complex.

The council hopes paid parking will discourage people from long-term parking as vehicle numbers in the town continue to rise, creating a shortage of spaces.

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