DC to look into auto parking issue- Mangalore

Ongoing road widening and concreting works undertaken by Mangalore City Corporation has taken its toll on auto rickshaw parks dotting the city. But authorised auto rickshaw parks making way for parking lot of a mall located on M G Road, purportedly on the orders of the deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj did not come as a surprise to the DC, who was chairing the meeting of regional transport authority here on Saturday.

Auto rickshaw drivers informed the DC that the owners of the mall through their security guards were not allowing the auto rickshaws to operate from the authorised auto rickshaw park. "The guards informed us that this park has been derecognised on the orders of the deputy commissioner," Mohan Shetty informed the DC, who observed that so many things go on with or without his notice and that he could not keep tabs on everything.

The mall owners have used the defunct auto rickshaw park as parking lot for two-wheelers and around six to seven auto rickshaws that operated from there earlier had no official park to operate from. The DC however assured the auto rickshaw drivers that this auto rickshaw park adjacent to the lane leading in to residential area would be restored and added that he had issued no such order cancelling the auto rickshaw park there.

Auto rickshaw union leader and advocate Ivan D' Souza urged the DC to settle the issue of auto rickshaw parks forthwith given that a majority of the auto rickshaws did not have an authorised auto rickshaw park to operate from. Earlier joint surveys carried out by the police, MCC officials and auto rickshaw unions have indicated the need for 354 such parks, he said. The DC assured to address the issue once the roadwork was complete.