Irregular parking of vehicles obstructs traffic at RTC complex in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: Irregular parking of bikes and other vehicles at APSRTC complex premises in Srikakulam district headquarters is causing a lot of inconvenience to other commuters and buses.

There are three bike parking places allotted within the complex premises. To drop and pick up passengers, bikes and cars are entering through main gates. As a result, at entry and exit points, the traffic is blocked. "Due to irregular parking of bikes and other vehicles, we are unable to enter and exit from the complex," a bus driver J S Chalam said. For a short duration, bike riders and car drivers are not willing to park their vehicles at parking places. Another reason for indiscriminate parking of vehicles and bikes is charging of minimum fee is Rs 10 for bike which is high. "Minimum charge for parking of bike is Rs 10 even for five to ten minutes which is irrational," a bike rider A K Raju said.

Between entry and exit gates, one location has been allotted for temporary parking but daily service employees are using this place to avoid parking fee of Rs 10. Security guards from a private agency were appointed here but they are not properly identifying parking of bikes by daily service employees at temporary parking place. "Temporary parking place is being misused by daily service employees," admitted RTC depot manager D Dhilleswara Rao and station manager K Venkata Rao.

"We are instructing security staff to identify long time parking vehicles and impose penalty on them and educate them to park their vehicles at parking places by paying Rs 10 for 24 hours," they added.