‘Parking space’ deterrent for new vehicle owners


MVD makes it mandatory to get parking space NOC for registration of new vehicles Dealers stumped, fears loss in business, don’t know what to do with present bookings

Sikkim Express | www.sikkimexpress.com


MVD makes it mandatory to get parking space NOC for registration of new vehicles Dealers stumped, fears loss in business, don’t know what to do with present bookings - SE Pic
GANGTOK, July 28: Individuals in Sikkim seeking to own their cherished vehicles will now have to compulsory show a parking space before their vehicles are registered by the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) of the State transport department.
This is easier said than done as the hilly terrain and unplanned urbanization have created a congested urban Sikkim with the capital Gangtok and major towns screaming for lack of breathing space, let alone a parking space for vehicles.
Demand for private vehicles has also shot up in Sikkim with the increased purchasing power of the people here with almost 50 new vehicles hitting the narrow roads of the State every week. There are already 42,748 vehicles of all types in Sikkim registered with the State government till March 31, 2010.
At least 45 percent of these vehicles are in the Rajdhani of Sikkim.
Chief Minister Pawan Chamling in the last day of budget session in the State Assembly in June had observed that around 10,000 new vehicles are soon coming to Sikkim due the arrear payment released to the government employees earlier this year on the recommendations of the Fourth State Pay Commission.
The exponential growth in vehicles have created huge pileups especially in Gangtok along the NH 31A during mornings and afternoons, the reporting and leaving hours for office goers and students, despite constantly evolving traffic management of Sikkim Police.
In order to check the ever growing menace of traffic congestion in the State, the MVD hereby makes it mandatory for availability of parking space certificate to be produced for registration of all vehicles, states a fresh notification from the State transport department.
The Superintendent of Police in charge of traffic for areas under urban local bodies has been mandated to issue parking space certificate to the buyers after proper physical verification of the parking space. For the rest of the areas in Sikkim, the responsibility has been given to the panchayats.
State transport officials here explained that officers not below the rank of Motor Vehicle Inspector will be personally visiting the site of parking shown by the buyers and submit details to the department along with the rough map of the site.
“This notification which has come to effect from July 7 from this year is only for new vehicles. We cannot do anything for those who have already bought vehicles before this notification. Everyone is aware of the traffic problems in Sikkim especially Gangtok”, said the officials.
The officials explained that everyone has a right to purchase vehicles but ‘it does not mean that the vehicle owners should be creating problems for the public by parking his vehicle in public places’. The vehicle owners must have a proper parking place especially at night, they said.
There is no other way we can control traffic problems in urban areas of Sikkim and hence, we have started with the system of having a mandatory parking space by the new buyers, the officials said. The notification is aimed to cut down additional vehicles in Sikkim without any private parking space and thereby ease out the present traffic congestion especially in Gangtok, the department said.
Superintendent of Police (East) Dr Mandeep Singh Tuli said that the traffic police will be formulating guidelines for implementing the notification. We want to avoid duplication of parking spaces shown by the owners and ensure that a particular space shown is for that particular vehicle by maintaining a register, he said.
“The notification aims to encourage people to have parking spaces in their houses. Parking along roads is not advisable”, said the SP.
Though the aim of the State government to cut down vehicular congestion can find acceptance among the people struck in traffic jams daily, the four major car dealers in Sikkim are worried that the ‘parking space’ notification could eat into their business.
Entel Motors proprietor Guru T. Ladakhi admitted that the government’s order will be affecting the sales of new vehicles. “It will definitely affect our sales as we cannot tell our buyers to get a No Objection Certificate for parking space. The sales will be affected as most of our clients do not have parking space of their own”, he said.
Entel Motors is located at 6th Mile, Tadong and sells Maruti products. It sells 20-25 vehicles on an average every week and presently has 100 bookings from the clients.
Similarly, Sikkim Motors at 6th Mile which deals in Mahindra products has a weekly sale of 15-20 vehicles and presently stumped as to what to do with its 90 bookings of new vehicles from its customers.
“Sales will go down but what is our present fear is that the bookings could be cancelled by those customers who do not have parking space as made mandatory by the government”, said Pramod Dalmia, managing director of Sikkim Motors.
All the car dealers here are planning to collectively meet the State government and understand how this law will be implemented, said Dalmia.
It was informed that dealers in Gangtok have received notices from the State transport department directing them not sell new cars unless the buyer gets a parking space notification.
While admitting that parking is a major problem in Gangtok and other urban areas, dealers here were quick to point out that the ‘notification’ can be easily countered by customers by purchasing their vehicles from nearby Siliguri and get it registered under the West Bengal government.
What will now happen is that people here will go to Siliguri, buy a car there and get it registered under West Bengal government and bring it here, the dealers said. In the long run, the State government will lose revenue and the dealers will lose business and the people here will have to go through the draining process of getting their vehicles registered under West Bengal government in Siliguri, they said.
Claiming that the rise in demand for vehicles and increase in vehicular traffic in Sikkim is an indication of growing economy, the dealers said that it is the government’s job to utilize the taxes collected from the people to build infrastructure including parking lots.
It was also pointed out by the common people that it was the hotels in Gangtok that is responsible for the traffic congestion in the capital. There are around 700 big and small hotels here and most of them do not have parking space and their vehicles and taxis serving the tourists hog the narrow lanes and roads during the tourism season, people said.

Vehicle Population in Sikkim

Category of vehicles Registered till to 31/03/2010
Two wheelers 6171
Non Commercial (Government & Private) 21,906
Goods Carrier 4,687
Contract/Stage carriage/local taxis 9,799
Tractors/Trailers 144
Luxury Tourist Vehicle 41
TOTAL 42,748

(Source: State Transport Department)