Flouting the rules

Finding parking space is a perpetual problem in the heart of the city. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, the problem has grown into a nightmare.

On match days, those attending the matches have been provided four-wheeler parking at St Joseph’s Indian High School grounds and the first floor of Shivajinagar bus stand. The VVIP parking is in UB City. A section of Cubbon Park has also been let out for parking of both two-wheelers and four-wheelers.

 Those parking at St Joseph’s Indian High School grounds, Cubbon Park and Shivajinagar bus stand have to shell out Rs 100 for four-wheelers and Rs 50 for two-wheelers for three hours. People who don’t wish to use these parking facilities end up parking in the bylanes near Garuda Mall and Rest House Road.

However, most people aren’t aware of the parking facilities provided by the organisers. Rishika Naidu, a regular IPL goer, says that she didn’t know about the availability of parking for the IPL until recently. “I park my car on Rest House Road and walk to the stadium. I prefer to park it in a familiar place rather than in one of the IPL parking lots.” Manikandan Shanmugam also doesn’t use the parking facility provided for the IPL. “I prefer to park at my friend’s shop on MG Road than in some other place. It is easier to take the vehicle after the match,” says Manikandan.

Those who use the parking facilities aren’t too happy with them. Neeraj Kumar recently chose to park his two-wheeler in the Cubbon Park parking lot. “We are charged Rs 50 for parking but there is no guarantee for the safety of the vehicle. There’s so much demand for parking that you often find vehicles parked on footpaths in Cubbon Park, forcing people to walk on the road,” observes Neeraj.

Prajwal Naidu, another IPL fan, adds, “Providing parking facilities for the matches isn’t enough. It is also important to ensure that vehicles are not damaged. There
seems to be only one attender to collect the parking fee and no security guards.” 

Others like Preethi Jagadish choose to be chauffeur driven to and from the stadium. “Parking is a major problem near the stadium. I don’t know where my driver parks but I just stay back in the stadium after the match and enjoy the ambience till he arrives with the car,” she said. Akhil Katari, a software professional, who was present at a recent match, says, “I always park my vehicle near the Baiyappanahalli metro station and use the Metro. It is chaotic trying to find parking in and around the stadium on match days.”

 Bengaluru City Commissioner Praveen Sood points out that the BBMP should find a solution to the parking problem in the city. “Finding space to park is a regular problem and it gets chaotic on the match days. We have heightened the surveillance to book those parking in ‘no parking’ zones and have also pressed additional towing vehicles into service on these days. It would be better if people could use public transport or carpool during the match days, instead of travelling by their own vehicles,” he says.