Parking woes for the people of Dibrugarh (Assam) simply does not seem to end. The “battle” to find a parking spot in Dibrugarh town for the residents is continuing for the past three years. Acute parking crisis continues to stare the people of Dibrugarh in the face – primarily because in the last five years there has been a huge increase in the number of vehicles plying on the streets.
The roads have become chock-a-block with four-wheelers and two-wheelers and if one has to cross the road, one is in “perennial fear of losing one’s limbs”. In fact, finding a parking place in Dibrugarh has become the biggest challenge for its residents. For instance, the entire stretch of Hanuman Singhania Road, one of the busiest roads in the town, is full of vehicles parked by owners “at their own will following no parking norms”. With no parking space available, an increasing number of three-wheelers are being parked near Thana Charali resulting in huge traffic snarls.
Similarly, the RKB Path has also become very cramped due to no proper parking arrangements made by the concerned authorities. Since cars are parked on both sides of the road, there is very little space left for vehicles to ply resulting in huge traffic congestion. Of late, lot of business establishments have come up in Diburgarh, but the authorities concerned have not done their homework properly – no thought was spared for a proper parking space.
“The increasing numbers of three-wheelers has become one of the major causes of parking woes in Dibrugarh town. The Dibrugarh district administration should be very strict while handing over licence to the three-wheeler drivers/owners and they should also mull on opening a multi-level parking area. With the Bogibeel Bridge almost complete, more vehicles will ply into Dibrugarh and things will become difficult for the district administration as well as the Dibrugarh traffic police to manage. They should take steps from now on to avoid a chaotic traffic situation in the near future,” said Ranjan Sharma,” a senior citizen.
The shopping malls and departmental stores are coming up dime a dozen in Dibrugarh town sans proper parking arrangements. Consequently, the vehicles are parked on the roadside. Recently, the Dibrugarh district administration issued a notice to the private nursing homes to build proper parking zone. A lot of nursing homes and diagnostics centres are yet to heed to the district administration’s order.
