HYDERABAD: Although traffic police have provided single-line parking on Abid Road, the area is so busy with shoppers that the parking space is insufficient and most of them are forced to use a second line.
Shop owners are happy that the government has made parking arrangements free of cost. In contrast, further up at Hanuman Tekdi, congestion and traffic chaos are an everyday feature. The area has a number of educational institutions, food outlets and commercial establishments.
Meanwhile, the entire RP Road stretch in Secunderabad, which is a commercial hub for industrial equipment, hardware and electrical appliances, boasts of a single-line parking. Vehicles are parked so haphazardly by customers that it obstructs a smooth flow of traffic. Most buildings across the city were granted permission for construction even when they did not earmark parking spaces. In the absence of appropriate planning, it is the locals who are bearing the brunt.
Mohammed Mukrum of FD Khan, a premier clothes store at Abids, said “after the government provided single-lane parking for free, the parking mafia has vanished.”
Srinivas, a tailor at Abids, said “from Lazeez café, the lane leading to Rosary Convent is used for parking even though it is a narrow lane. There are no parking facilities at commercial buildings.”
Uday Shah, a businessman from RP Road, said “this is the hub for commercial trade. The one lane parking that has been provided is not sufficient. Adding to the discomfort is that work on the bridge opposite the hugely-patronised dargah has been halted. It is time the government comes up with new multi-storied parking lots in the area and bring all-round respite.
