Mumbai: Illegal parking of heavy vehicles has encroached upon every inch of the Lokhandwala township, Kandivali East, hardly leaving any space to walk, the locals alleged. They said that the issue continues to persist for two years and they even lodged complaints with the police and the BMC.
The menace has also led to a rise in criminal and anti-social activities, putting a question mark on the women's safety, bemoaned the residents. However, no action has been taken yet.
They further said that multiple illegal parking mafia have sprung up in the area. They collect money from truck and tempo drivers in lieu of letting them park their vehicles on the public roads. Parking of commercial heavy vehicles on both sides of the roads has blocked the space for pedestrians to walk.
In the last two years, six housing societies have written to the Lokhandwala Residents Association (LRA), seeking support to curb the nuisance. The association, in turn, wrote to the police, stating that there has been a rise in alcohol and drug abuse due to illegal parking. Molestation and eve-teasing are the worrying repercussions of the problem, it added.
The LRA said that a local mafia has encroached on public roads and has been collecting money from vehicles being parked in the area. “Post Covid, the entire area has been encroached upon and money is being collected from all kinds of vehicles, including trucks and tempos. We would love our township to come back to normalcy as today it is in a complete mess and totally controlled by the mafia,” the letter stated.
The residents association has also raised the issue with the police and the BMC’s R-South ward. It pointed out that the illegally-parked trucks ferry cooking gas cylinders on the internal residential roads between the Whispering Palm and the Green Meadows societies. The association expressed concern over the transfer of cylinders from one truck to another in open.
LRA founder Shishir Vivekanand Shetty said, “Such activity on the public roads is not only illegal but also extremely hazardous as there is a possibility of explosion. The parking mafia is restricting the residents from parking their vehicles on the roads and also damages the vehicles if parked without paying money. Police need to take strict action against these goons.”
Samta Nagar police station senior Inspector Pravin Rane said, “The traffic department has been collecting fines from people illegally parking their vehicles. If they bring any illegal pay and park to our attention, we will register a complaint.”
