Thiruvananthapuram: Dearth of space has zoo visitors park on footpath
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Everyday scores of visitors come to Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo. But since parking spaces are not adequate, motorists resort to parking their vehicles on the tiled footpath in front of the Public Office building.
Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company (TRDCL), the concessionaire of Kerala Road Fund Board, which takes care of the city road infrastructure is peeved with citizens because of the damage caused to their property by parking their vehicles on the footpath.
Currently the visitors to Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo and the neighbouring Kanakakunnu Palace park their vehicles on one side of the Museum road, Kanaka Nagar Road (Rs 20 – Rs 30), Museum – Nadavanam Road and also inside the Museum campus (Rs150 per day). But on weekends when there is a surge in visitors, vehicles are parked on the footpath which is maintained by TRDCL.
A top Government official told DC that the traffic police have been slapping a fine of Rs 100 on those vehicle owners who park it on the polymer coated interlock-tiled footpath on both sides of the Public Office complex. “Instead of slapping a Rs 100 fine, what needs to be done by the traffic police is to tow away those vehicles which are parked on the footpaths. Unfortunately the city police administration is not enforcing stringent action against erring vehicle owners”, said a top Government official.
Everyday there are scores of joggers who walk around the Museum as well as on the footpaths outside the campus. They have been complaining to authorities on numerous occasions because they have to walk on the busy road as the footpaths have been occupied by the vehicles. Museum and Zoo authorities feel that there should be a multi-level parking setup as day by day parking has become a menace. Anilkumar Pandala, project director of TRDCL, told DC that it was illegal to park vehicles on the footpaths in the capital city.
“We had given more than half a dozen written complaints before the previous city police commissioner, deputy police commissioner, Road Safety Authority officials and KRFB officials. But unfortunately visitors to the Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo as well as Kanakakunnu Palace keep parking on the footpaths destroying it entirely,” said Anil Kumar Pandala.
He also suggested that authorities should seriously think of opening the Public Office complex, Nandavanam AR camp and also Thycaud Police Ground to meet the parking needs during weekends. A shuttle service can be started to these parking places so that the vehicle owners can commute easily to retrieve their vehicles.
