Times of India: Nagpur: Monday,
August 01, 2016.
In a suo motu
public interest litigation (PIL) in 2010, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court
had directed Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to ensure free parking and
strictly no hotels or encroachments under the arches or shopping complex below
the flyover in front of Nagpur railway station. Directives were also given to
the police department to ensure there is no parking on the road between
Jaistambh Square and Manas square. None of these directives have been followed
by the two authorities, putting them in contempt of the HC's explicit orders.
Information
obtained under Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist TH Naidu has exposed
many more violations at NMC's shopping complex under the flyover. The approved
plan of the complex shows two slots for parking towards Manas square, one on
each side of Tekdi Ganesh Temple main gate, and two towards Jaistambh square.
NMC was supposed to provide free parking for vehicles coming to the shops below
the flyover at these spots.
A visit to
the complex reveals NMC has constructed a night shelter in the parking slots
towards Manas square, and fruit and paan vendors have encroached the slots
towards Jaistambh square. Only the parking slots on both sides of the temple
gate are being utilized for the stated purpose.
There are
over 200 shops in the complex below the flyover between Jaistambh Square and
Manas Square. Over 25 hotels or restaurants are operating from these shops.
Almost all of them also cook the eatables in the shops. "The HC had
clearly directed NMC not to allow hotels in the shops. NMC too restricted shop
lease holders from cooking at the shops in the agreement. However, there is no
control on the hotels," Naidu said.
In keeping
with the HC order dated December 23, 2010, the police department had declared
the road between the two squares as a no-parking stretch. But autos and
two-wheelers can be seen parked on the right side of the road adjacent to the
flyover ramp towards Jaistambh Square. A line of autos can also be seen parked
along the road adjacent to the railway station compound wall. Further, parked
autos, two-wheelers and four-wheelers are common till Manas Square.
Similarly,
the arches in front of the shops are always encroached by parked two-wheelers,
paan kiosk, goods stored by shops, and signboards of hotels etc. The citizens
have to walk on the road due to the obstacles below the arches.
The HC had
also directed NMC to ensure cleanliness on the road, considering the large
number of people coming and going from the railway station. However, garbage
and stagnant water are a permanent feature of this road. Also, the road cannot
remain free of potholes and bad surface layer when it is maintained by NMC.
"Citizens
are facing problems at the complex and on the road. Besides, people coming to the
city from other places get a bad impression due to the mess right outside the
railway station. While disposing off the PIL, the HC had strictly warned NMC
and police department that they would face contempt of court action if there
were any violation of its orders. We have decided to move the HC as NMC and
police department are neglecting all the directives," Naidu said.
NMC officials
told TOI that the market department, enforcement department and zone office
will form a joint team and initiate action against violators. "Regular
monitoring used to be done by the civic body, and will be started again,"
said an official.
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