The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has sought answers from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) regarding growing parking problem in Dhantoli and Congress Nagar. The court also warned of contempt action against the Municipal Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) for not following the High Court’s orders. They have been summoned on April 17, the next date of hearing into the case. The decision came during a hearing on Wednesday before Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Abhay Mantri. The issue stems from two public interest litigations (PILs) filed by Dhantoli residents highlighting the parking problems due to hospitals in Dhantoli and Congress Nagar. The High Court had previously ordered the construction of a one-way lane in Dhantoli, along with issuing notifications for several one-way roads in the area.

 

However, these directives remain unimplemented to date which led to increased difficulties for commuters and residents due to encroachment on parking spaces. Adv Ashwin Deshpande highlighted the violation of the High Court’s order by stating that the encroachments in Dhantoli and Congress Nagar continue to persist and obstruct parking spaces. Despite assurances from the Assistant Commissioner of Dhantoli Zone of NMC regarding the removal of encroachments, no significant progress has been made. Additionally, the court questioned the actions taken by the traffic police in response to the issued notifications.

 

The non-compliance with court orders has exacerbated the situation, particularly with the encroachment of hospitals into residential areas which further aggravated the parking problem. Adv Deshpande, along with other representatives from Dhantoli, urged the High Court to take contempt action against the responsible authorities for failing to address the issue effectively. Although the Municipal Commissioner and Traffic DCP have been given another chance to comply, they are required to present themselves during the next hearing on April 17. Adv Deepak Thakre represented the State while Adv Sudhir Puranik for NMC.