Eateries customers crowd out residents in Hyderabad
Customers park cars in lanes blocking residents' entry.
Hyderabad: From Banjara Hills Road No. 3, 12 and 10 to Madhapur Metro Rail Station, there are 884 restaurants that are doing brisk business. Some buildings house more than two restaurants.
The GHMC has granted trade licences to these restaurants without checking if the building in which they are housed has at least 60 per cent of parking space in the cellar.
As a result, customers are parking their vehicles outside residential buildings in the vicinity of the restaurant, which is a nuisance for residents.
Mr Anurag Sharma of Banjara Hills Road No 3 fumed, “Cellars of most commercial buildings do not have enough space to accommodate vehicles. The watchman directs the cars into internal lanes. The cars are parked for hours together. It becomes difficult for me to enter my house as cars are parked in front of my gate. We cannot question any one. Many times I have shouted at the watchman, but nothing changed.”
Mr Srinivas Rao of Jubilee Hills, a senior citizen, said there was no permission for parking of two- and four-wheelers in his colony, “still many, especially those visiting the commercial complexes on the main road, park inside. Nearly 40 cars are parked on colony roads.”
There is no redressal system in the GHMC to accept complaints about illegal parking nor do they forward complaints to the city traffic police.
DCP, traffic, north zone, L.S. Chauhan said, “Section 39 (B) of the City Police Act states that nobody can occupy a public road or space for parking including those owning or running establishments.
If government land or road is occupied for parking, the traffic police and even law and order officials have the power to book a case. If it is a repeat offe-nce, regular sections of IPC can be initiated for trespassing on public space. Action will be taken as per the provision of the section.”
Every commercial building must allocate 60 per cent of its space for parking. However, this is being ignored as many basements are being turned into shops and thus people park on roads.