NAGPUR is fast turning into a city where finding a place to park a vehicle has become one of the biggest daily struggles. With over 23 lakh registered vehicles in the city and district, the roads are choked not only with traffic but also with haphazardly parked two-wheelers, cars, e-rickshaws, and commercial vehicles. Recognising this problem, the Nagpur Traffic Police along with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have decided to take strong measures by marking and demarcating important stretches in the city as parking and no-parking zones. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Lohit Matani, in an interview with ‘The Hitavada’, admitted that the crisis has reached a serious stage. “The growing problem of parking has become serious. Citizens are facing genuine difficulties.

 

We have identified many spots in the city where the problem is persistent. Itwari is the most crowded area where vehicle owners do not find any parking space. We have now marked certain areas there for parking and blocked congested lanes for e-rickshaws and vehicles so that people are encouraged to use proper parking areas,” he said. The city’s rapid growth and rise in the number of vehicles is at the heart of the crisis. Nagpur has witnessed an unprecedented rise in vehicle ownership in the last decade. But the roads and infrastructure have not grown at the same pace. DCP Matani stressed that the administration is now working on providing designated spaces along important stretches so that citizens can easily identify where to park without breaking rules. “We are working to provide proper parking spaces on the city roads to match the growing vehicle population,” he said. One of the biggest challenges is posed by commercial establishments like hospitals, hotels large numbers of people but fail to provide their own parking facilities. Instead, customers park on narrow streets, worsening congestion.

 

“Many old establishments with heavy customer footfall have not created their own parking spaces. These vehicles end up on the roads and cause jams. If such establishments are carrying out commercial activities, they must provide parking facilities for their customers, even if it is paid. Co-operation of these establishments is essential to solve the parking problem,” said Matani. Areas like Dhantoli, Ramdaspeth, Sakkardara, Sitabuldi and Wardha Road are particularly affected by this problem. Officials say unless private establishments come forward, the city will continue to see chaotic roadside parking. 

 

 

Nagpur citizens also need to adopt the culture of “pay and park” facilities, which is common in big metro cities, Matani stressed. In cities like Mumbai and Delhi, people willingly park in paid facilities and either walk long distances or use e-rickshaws to reach their destination. “In Nagpur, however, many people still prefer to park their vehicles on the streets even when a proper pay-and-park is available nearby. Citizens must realise that paying a small fee for safe parking is better than risking fines, towing, or creating traffic chaos,” he explained.

 

 

Officials believe that the parking crisis cannot be solved by the traffic police alone. The solution requires co-operation from NMC, private establishments and most importantly, the citizens themselves. NMC has already started identifying spots for designated parking on busy stretches and plans to introduce stricter penalties for those who violate the rules. “Discipline is the key. If people use the facilities we are creating, the situation will improve within months. But if the habit of careless parking continues, no system can succeed,” warned DCP Matani. “He also stated that the police are trying to clear footpaths and parking spaces from encroachments such as roadside vendors. The Sitabuldi market is an example, where the parking issue was resolved after removing roadside vendors,” he said.