Mapusa: Acting on a representation submitted by the Colvale panchayat regarding the illegal parking of heavy vehicles along the national highway and service road at Colvale, the Mapusa Traffic Cell on Monday booked six cases. The cell also conducted an awareness drive for truck drivers and warehouse operators.
Illegal parking of heavy and container trucks along the national highway and service roads at Colvale has been a long-standing concern for commuters and residents, who have alleged that the parked vehicles obstruct traffic and pose a risk to public safety.
Residents have been raising the issue for several years and have repeatedly sought action in the matter. While police action on earlier occasions provided temporary relief, locals stated that the problem continued to recur.
In its representation, the Colvale panchayat, led by sarpanch Ritesh Varkhandkar, urged the Mapusa Traffic Cell to act against illegally parked vehicles, stating that they posed a danger to commuters.
The representation referred to two recent incidents. In one case, a beggar who was reportedly sleeping beneath a parked truck lost his life. In another incident, a truck reversing on the roadside allegedly struck an electricity pole and damaged parked scooters.
Following the representation, a team from the Mapusa Traffic Cell issued challans to six truck drivers for causing obstruction and warned them against repeating the violation.
Traffic personnel also interacted with godown and warehouse owners and requested them to implement time schedules for truck movements to prevent vehicles from piling up along the stretch.
“I had personally visited the spot today and it was a good initiative taken by them and were also creating awareness among the truck drivers,” said Varkhandkar.