Kochi: Nearly a month after the district administration issued an order banning parking of cargo lorries on the sides of the Container Road, which connects Kalamassery with Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), the police along with the Motor Vehicle Department started implementing the directions from Monday. "Initially we will enforce the 'No Parking' order in the six-km stretch from Kalamassery to Cheranellore Shiva Temple. Legal actions, mainly imposing of fines, will be taken against vehicles found parked. The vehicles will also be towed away," said A J George, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic East).
A meet chaired by the district collector had earlier directed that the 'No Parking' ban should be enforced after January 26 when the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) provided four acres of land for parking trucks transporting cargo to and from ICTT. The pay and park facility has space for parking nearly 200 container lorries. "However, the lorry operators asked us for more time and to implement the 'No Parking' direction in a phased manner. We have given notices to all unions about the parking ban in the six-km stretch. The Traffic Police and Motor Vehicle Department will carry out frequent mobile patrolling in the stretch," the officer said.
Meanwhile, the Cochin Port Trust has floated a tender for setting up another parking yard at Puthuvype side. "The process has started. This will be in addition to the four-acre parking space by BPCL and that at Bolgatty where 60 carriers can be parked," a senior Port Trust official said. The 17.2-km long Container Road stretch witnessed close to 300 mishaps in 2016. The illegal parking of container lorries has been cited as a major factor resulting in the accidents, especially during night. Around 1,500 container carriers are operating daily out of the Container terminal.
