JOIN USMayor begins drive to ensure smooth traffic flow
In a joint drive, Mangaluru City Corporation and city police officials on Wednesday cleared encroachment of footpaths in the central business district (CBD) area, besides identifying porous points to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
The drive led by Mayor Kavita Sanil started from PVS Circle at Kodialbail, moved towards Bunts Hostel Circle and Dr B R Ambedkar Circle (Jyothi theatre junction) and culminated at State Bank of India junction. In the drive that lasted three hours, no parking board put up in front of the parking lots was removed, however, shopkeepers who had encroached footpath space had to bear the brunt.
Auto drivers
Autorickshaw drivers at the stand adjacent to Sri Lakshminarayana Temple opposite Kudmul Rangarao Girls’ Hostel requested the mayor to vacate the illegal autorickshaw stand on the other side. They also promised to make space for the evicted autorickshaws with the space available for a total of 10 autorickshaws in the stand considered as legal by the Corporation.
The ‘No Parking’ boards put up in front of the PVS Centenary Building were removed, while the haphazard parking of vehicles encroaching upon the footpath was also taken into notice. The stagnation of overflowing drainwater at some places on the same stretch was also marked for plugging, in view of pedestrians safety.
At Karangalpady Circle, the policemen pointed out that the parking lot in front of a commercial complex hinders the smooth flow of traffic, with the auto stand in the centre adding to the civic woes. A commercial complex near Bunts Hostel Circle with shops built in the cellar space meant for parking also came into notice. The uneven stone slabs in front of the bus stop at Bunts Hostel Circle and a commercial complex on Hampankatta road were removed.
Extended lot
The extended parking lot occupying the footpath space in front of the KMC Hospital came into notice. Local corporator A C VInayaraj suggested the mayor to mark the area actually belonging to the civic body, with road widening work planned in the coming days. A stretch further, ‘No Parking’ boards put up in front of hotels and commercial complexes were also removed.
Garment shops
The garment shops on both side of the same stretch ahead of Hampankatta Circle had to face the wrath of the MCC officials, who removed the wooden shelves from the footpath, in spite of repeated pleas by the traders. The nameboards portending danger to pedestrians were also removed.
As and when the violations came into notice, the mayor sought the opinion of assistant town planning officer Manjunatha Swamy, who promised to verify the same. The police officials highlighted the pathetic condition of free left junctions at some signals to be addressed at the earliest.
All on foot
Even as the mayor set out on foot in the company of Deputy Mayor Rajaneesh, City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer, DCP (Crime and Traffic) Hanumantharaya, ACP (Traffic) Tilakchandra, a posse of gangmen with tipper lorries in toe, followed them.
Chief Whip in MCC Council Shashidhar Hegde, standing committee chairpersons Sabita Misquith and Abdul Rauf, corporators A C Vinayraj and Radhakrishna were also a part of the drive undertaken in the city on Wednesday.
A few days into the drive, mayor had announced to launch the exercise from PVS Circle towards Hampankatta via K S Rao Road till State Bank of India junction. However, a few minutes into the drive, the mayor announced waiting officials about change in plan, that was also in the mind of many for the aggravating traffic woes towards Bunts Hostel Circle.