Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Mar 9: Traffic jams in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha is a daily affair now in the city. Parking vehicles on the roadside and allowing people to hold protests is creating traffic jams. Motorists are having a tough time passing through this area.
The work of underpass construction in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha, under the Smart City project, is under progress and it is already causing traffic inconvenience. As the court has given stay, the work of underpass is stalled now. Interlock work of Mini Vidhana Soudha is also half done. So the entry of vehicles to Mini Vidhana Soudha campus is prohibited. That is why the office goers park their vehicles on the road side. Two days ago, when there was traffic jam in this spot police had fined all the vehicle owners who had parked their vehicles on road side.
For the convenience of public going to Mini Vidhana Soudha, parking is provided inside the campus of townhall. However, the commuters have to go all the way to A B Shetty Circle to take a U-turn and come back to the townhall. So many of the vehicle owners do not use the townhall campus for parking.
An alternative arrangement should be done for holding protests. This is a long standing demand. Earlier protests were held in front of the main entrance of the office of DC. Now they are held in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha. Police say that protests should be allowed to take place either in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha or in the Gandhi Park in front of townhall.
Traffic ACP Nataraj M A says, "Permission can be given to hold protests in Gandhi Park which is inside the campus of townhall. There is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi also. Moreover, 400 to 500 people can gather in that space. We will place a proposal in this regard with the district administration."
Assistant commissioner Madan Mohan C, says, "The entry of vehicles to Mini Vidhana Soudha is temporarily prohibited. Public who have to go to Mini Vidhana Soudha can park their vehicles inside the campus of townhall."