Mumbai: Illegal parking, traffic congestion and road blocks, are a few of the main issues residents of the Sion-Matunga area in the vicinity of the well-known Shanmukhananda Hall in Sion (East) are grappling with almost everyday.
Shanmukhananda Hall organizes seminars and programs attracting a huge crowd, which brings in vehicles that are parked right on the road. “Traffic slows down due to roads blocked from one side. These events occur twice or thrice every week causing congestion,” said a resident.
“It is not a designated parking slot, vehicles are parked illegally. After their events end, people gather outside the hall and linger. Even after alerting them so many times, there is no traffic police or regular police to disperse the crowd or assist the traffic,” another resident said.
The hall organises telemarketing programs for its members and even holds students’ festivals, claimed the residents.
“Last week, in an event organised for students, more than 20 buses that had come to pick up and drop off children caused a traffic jam. Ambulances on emergency duties pass through the same stretch which has Sion Hospital but get stuck often owing to the impact of the traffic flow. Some action needs to be taken,” echoed another resident.
Comrade Harbanslal Marg road where the hall is located between King’s Circle and Sion areas, experiences moderate to high traffic during peak hours.
Residents have been alerting the traffic police for a couple of weeks and the Mumbai police via Twitter, along with pictures but in vain. They seek a permanent solution to this menace.
“Whenever we receive complaints from the residents of the area, almost every time I and our officers take action against illegal parking. More than 50 to 60 vehicles are penalized every week with either e-challan or towing. Since it’s a private area, there are certain limitations in taking action. We have asked the organizers to look into the matter as well,” a traffic official of Matunga Traffic Division said.
