Food kiosks in front of hotels eating up parking space

Santosh Nagar: The culture of setting up food kiosks in-front of the hotels and restaurants is taking its toll in several of localities of Old City, as motorists visiting here are forced to park their vehicles on road. As a result of this parking which sometimes can reach two to three rows, traffic situation worsens prompting the traffic police act against the motorists, while sparing the hoteliers.   

Several of the eateries, including multi-cuisine restaurants have adopted the trend of setting up of kiosks. This trend can be observed in areas like Malakpet, Saidabad, Santosh Nagar, Edi Bazar, Phisalbanda, Chandrayanagutta, Baba Nagar, Falaknuma, Talabkatta, Moghalpura, Shahalibanda and some other localities which indirectly results in traffic problem. The space in front of the eateries is used for cooking purposes. starting from morning hours, they cook puris and dosas and during evening hours make kababs, paya and other delicacies. As these snacks are cooked outside and due to which the available space on road is reduced prompting visitors to park their vehicles on road facing the risk of challan.

Md Osman, a resident near a hotel at Edi Bazar, said that there were nearly five hotels and restaurants and due to this kind of situation, there remains a regular problem of traffic congestion. “Besides traffic problem, locals like me are unable to park vehicles in front of the houses,” he said. Md Ahmed, a resident near a hotel in Santosh Nagar said that recently the GHMC conducted a special drive and removed all the footpath encroachment, despite that these eateries did not mend their ways. “We suffer because of this trend during the morning rush hours, as there is regular traffic slowdown on these points,” he noted.

Responding on this phenomenon and about traffic regulation, J Sreenu SI Mirchowk said that to control this trend, they regularly lift the vehicles and penalize them. “We have also given warnings to hotel managements not to encroach upon footpaths and roads. Since it is not a matter resolved by traffic police alone, it remains persistent,” he explained.

BY MM Farooqui