Residents up the ante against heavy vehicles parked along Chicalim-Airport road

NT NETWORK

VASCO

The residents of Chicalim have urged the district administration South to restrict parking of heavy vehicles along the stretch of Chicalim- Airport road and also demanded to make an alternate arrangement of parking for heavy vehicular traffic away from the proximity of residential and schools in order to avoid accidents.

The heavy vehicle drivers claim that they park their vehicles along the Chicalim- Airport road as there is no alternate space available for parking.

“There was a proposal from the Chicalim Panchayat earlier for setting up of a parking terminal especially for heavy vehicles at Alto-Dabolim and even the Mormugao Port Trust was trying to acquire land for the purpose of parking heavy vehicles, but unfortunately till date it has not materialised”, said a tanker driver.

According to agitated Chicalim residents, MPT authorities should make arrangements of alternate land for parking of heavy vehicles, since a majority of these vehicles are parked along the Chicalim-Airport stretch are involved in transporting various consignments from the Port areas. Other vehicles such as tankers are transporting consignments of fuel, ammonia and other hazardous cargo from ZIOTL, ZACL and petroleum companies which are operating in the heart of the town.

Former deputy sarpanch of Chicalim Panchayat Francisco Nunes said that parking of heavy vehicles during peak hours can pose a threat to the lives of students, pedestrians and motorists.

“There are nearly 3,000 students studying in three different schools in the vicinity of the Chicalim- Airport road including those of Regina Mundi School, Vidhya Mandir School and Navy Children School, wherein lives of students is at risk”, said Nunes.

“The occupants of the apartments and also those residing in houses are facing major hardship due to the haphazard parking of heavy vehicles along Chicalim- Airport road”, he said.

Meanwhile, the Dabolim Block Congress Committee (DBCC) have requested the deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate Mormugao to shift the existing bus stop near railway overbridge next to Dabolim airport junction as it creates chaos, following traffic congestion during the peak hours. “The bus stop needs to be shifted a few distance away from the railway overbridge near naval compound wall in order to avoid regular traffic jam and traffic congestion”, said the executive committee member of DBCC.