Abandoned vehicles in public lots eat into parking spaces

PUNE: The civic body has urged citizens to claim their vehicles if lying abandoned at parking lots across the city.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently started a survey of unattended and abandoned two-wheelers and four-wheelers parked at public parking lots over many days. Almost 200 such vehicles were identified at parking spaces near the Pune railway station and Mandai.

Officials have issued a public appeal since such vehicles are occupying space at parking lots and are a nuisance since the civic administration is unable to get the areas cleaned.
It may be noted that the PMC has more than 14 multi-storey parking lots across the city.
A civic official, on condition of anonymity, said, "Most vehicles found unattended over a long duration - as reported by contractors operating the parking lots - are not in a good condition. Subsequently, the administration decided to survey all such parking spots."
During preliminary observations, the civic administration found a significant number of unattended machines at parking lots near the Pune railway station and the Mandai.
"We prepared a list of all the vehicles and published the registration numbers in the public appeal for the benefit of the owners," an official said.
Another civic official said that parking at public spaces is a challenge in the city.
"Unattended vehicles occupy large areas at public parking lots. Even the parking operators have approached us to initiate action against such cars and bikes," he added.
The civic body is also planning to reach out to the regional transport office (RTO) to seek guidance on action to be taken in cases where owners fail to claim their vehicles.
Meanwhile, regular commuters in the city have said that the civic body should also initiate action against abandoned vehicles along roadsides.
Jigar Shah, a resident of Shivajinagar, said the civic administration should monitor the roadside parking to identify vehicles occupying precious space for a long period of time.
"Citizens struggle to find space to park their vehicles at busy roads. There is a need to provide more parking lots for citizens," he added.