Parking Problem, A Major Poll Issue For Bhubaneswar Mayor Election

Residents of the Capital city of Bhubaneswar have been facing difficulties in finding space for parking vehicles on a regular basis. With more and more vehicles adding to the existing numbers and the parking space remaining the same, the problem is getting aggravated with every passing day. 

With the ULB polls round the corner, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s Mayoral candidates are presently rushed off their feet. To woo voters, they are making promises. The Capital city’s traffic problem also finds space in their to-be-done lists.

Congress Mayor candidate, Madhusmita Acharya, says she is well aware of gravity of the parking problem in the city. “Just pick up any area randomly and one will find parking problem even there. There is no denying of the fact. There are some other problems too. If I win, those problems will be addressed on a priority basis,” Acharya says. 

The city dwellers are at the receiving end. It is they who are experiencing the difficulties day in day out. 

“At any given point of time, one can see vehicles parked on both sides of the roads in the Bhubaneswar city. Sometimes, we have either to wait for 15 to 20 minutes to get a space to park our vehicles or to park our vehicles at a place half a kilometer away from the pre-decided spots,” says a city dweller, adding specific parking spaces is the need of the hour.

The Biju Janata Dal’s pick for the BMC’s Mayor post, Sulochana Das sees the solution to parking problem in multi level car parking facility. 
“A multi level car parking facility is near completion. The pandemic has delayed its inauguration. If I win the election, I will make more such facilities,” Das says. 

Parking on roads encroaches upon a major chunk of the roads, leaving the commuters help themselves. 

“We auto drivers are the worst sufferers. Even if a customer waives hand at us, we can’t stop at that particular spot due to space crunch. We are forced to park our vehicles ahead of that spot, forcing the customer walk up to us,” rues a city based auto driver. 

“Specific parking spaces can only solve the problem,” he opines. 

Mayor aspirant Suniti Mund, who has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party, is very particular about the parking issue. “In Bhubaneswar city, the most aggravating problem is vehicular parking.  If I become Mayor, my top most priority will definitely be to eradicate the parking problem. We have already made plans to rehabilitate the roadside vendors. That will free the space,” observes Mund.