Site inspections: Ponda set to have paid parking soon

Ponda: To reduce traffic obstructions, Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has begun identifying stretches where pay-parking can be implemented. Council chairperson Anand Naik, along with Ponda traffic PI Krishna Sinari, inspected the major areas of concern across the town on Wednesday. Naik said that they were identifying the possible areas where they could implement the parking facilities in the town.

In Dec last year, the council resolved to introduce pay-parking facilities to stop motorists from occupying public spaces. According to the officials, some people keep the parking spaces blocked the entire day without paying any fees. Most of them park their vehicles at the old bus stand or in the open space near Ponda police station before going out of town or for work, which leads to congestion with no space left for other motorists to park their vehicles.

The areas identified so far by the municipality to execute pay-parking facilities are the old bus stand, an open space near the police station, and an area near Upper Bazaar. At Upper Bazaar, motorists park their vehicles along the road even though parking space is available on the ground floor of the market complex. With a rise in the number of vehicles over the years, Ponda is witnessing frequent traffic jams. “We hope pay-parking will help reduce traffic obstructions,” the chairperson said.

For a two-wheeler, the charge will be Rs 5 per hour, and for a four-wheeler, it will be Rs 10 per hour.