Rustam Bagh residents join hands to end parking menace

Bengaluru: Rustam bagh, a narrow alley alongside Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, houses 700 houses and has a single entry/exit road. The residents face harrowing time as drivers park vehicles haphazardly resulting in traffic jams.

The residents lament that though the issue was taken up on several platforms, no solution came through.

In order to get rid of the bottleneck the members of the Rustambagh Welfare Association have begun a drive to clear vehicles from 'No Parking' area outside the Manipal Hospital gate.

"We've been fighting this menace for a very long time. We have roped in resident volunteers to address the issue. A roster of 24 volunteers has been drawn up and each one will take turns to work for one hour, from 8 am to 8 pm, every day. Every slot has a minimum two volunteers at a time. Because, social consciousness is lacking among commercial establishments, we the residents have stepped in and taken action. We look forward to corporate hospitals like Manipal to take our grievances into consideration," said Poornima Shetty, president of the association.

She proudly said that the road has been cleared of autos/cabs and the 'you-don't-know-who-I-am' attitude, as of now.

"Don't know how long we can go on, but we are determined to help change the situation," Poornima said. Senior citizens too have been participating in large numbers in the initiative.

Mahavir Chakra awardee Rear Admiral (Rtd) Santosh Kumar Gupta told The Hans India that there has been a change on the ground but there is scope for improvement. The 84-year-old soldier spends an hour as a volunteer and finds it satisfying.

"The road is narrow and the cabs, autos carrying people to the hospital and water tankers are posing a bottleneck in the narrow lane. Poornima is spearheading the movement efficiently and has won over the police and BWSSB. Now, cabs and autos move away after dropping passengers," he said.