Parking problems kill Hyderabad Numaish joy

Between January 1 and February 15 the most mesmerizing magnetic pull, which woos Hyderabadis to its fold, isthe All India Industrial Exhibition (AIIE), more popularly known as Numaish.

Ask any local about the experience and it will draw an instant spark on the individual’s face. This charm has not diminished one bit in the 77 years since its inception.

However, this time around the exhibition is badly hit and no it is not because of the dreaded “demontesation’ word that has wreaked havoc all over.

A visitor confronts the spoilsport even before entering the numaish premises. This problem is affecting every pedestrian walking in or outside the gates.

Traffic jams are the new headaches at the entrance. Although, a mad rush is witnessed every year, this time around is has become more pronounced, thanks to the ongoing work on Hyderabad Metro Rail construction that has turned into a major obstacle to the smooth flow of traffic.

To compound the problems, the free parking facility extended by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has resulted in a haphazard parking by two and four-wheeler vehicle owners, who are giving a damn to the rules and regulations.

Ironically, although guilty of the problem, some of them lament that their vehicles were getting damaged because of the absence of fool-proof security!

The issue with regard to the traffic problems and the troubles it was creating to the visitor came up for discussion in the Legislative Assembly during the recent session.

It seemingly looks like the State Government has turned a blind eye to the problems faced by the common man.

Sharing his experience, T Naveen, a private employee working for an MNC said that the idea of single-line free parking was good.

The problem gets worse as the night draws near. And there is a shortage of cops and volunteers meaning the entry and exit points, he rued.

Mukesh Kumar, a local businessman, claimed “It is safe to park near the main road. Even though the police department has deputed a constable for security purpose he is only concerned checking the individual and not the vehicles.

I have also noticed that vehicles sometimes are removed and damaged for which both the police and vehicle owners have to take the blame".

Meanwhile, Secretary of AIIE Aditya Margam told The Hans India that GHMC has provided a free parking facility and police were deputed to ensure security of the vehicles.

“To avoid traffic jam on the main road we have launched an application ‘Get my parking.com’, which shows the parking areas nearer to the exhibition and also gives information about the parking availability,” he said.

DCP (Traffic-II) AV Ranganath pointed out that open spaces around the numaish premises have been earmarked for parking.

He said that police and volunteers have been trying their best to divert the traffic to other roads, including Abids and MJJ Road.

Incidentally, the Goshamahal MLA Raja Singh said that people have been facing problem due to the traffic jam.