Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 13
A master-plan to ease traffic congestion in the main arteries of the State’s commercial hub, Dimapur, has been finalized and will be set into motion by June first week. Conceived by the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) in consultation with the city police and Traffic personnel, the plan is with the objective to streamlining the flow of traffic in three of Dimapur’s busiest thoroughfares - Church Road, MP Road and Circular Road - besides facilitating shopping and other commercial transactions in these areas.
“The salient features of the plan include introduction of one-way traffic on two-lane Church Road (NL Road), manned parking lots and doing away with the existing ‘no entry’ arrangement at both ends of New Market street and Eros Lane junction,” said DMC member and convenor, Traffic Control Cell, G Kits.
As per the plan, only one lane of Church Road linking business centres like Hongkong Market, Haji Park, New Market and New Millenium Market, will be open to traffic from Deluxe Point junction till Plaza Junction. The other lane (Breeze Restaurant side) will be used exclusively as a parking lot and entry of vehicles from Plaza Junction (Footbridge) side will be banned.
Oncoming vehicles from the City Tower side will now have to take a detour through Dobhinalla police point and take the New Market lane or MP Road to enter Church Road. Vehicles can also take the Kher Mahal - Eros Lane –Deluxe Point route to enter Church Road. The lane facing Breeze Restaurant will be converted into a parking lot, which will be manned by personnel employed by the municipal council.
Convenor of the municipal’s Tolls & Tax wing, Simon Yepthomi said as per the prevailing system in congested cities, parking tax of Rs. 10 and Rs. 5 will be realized from four wheelers and two wheelers respectively, to defray expenses for upkeep of the parking lot and salary of parking attendants. The DMC will also be streamlining parking on other busy roads including Circular Road and MP Road, he added.
Meanwhile, DMC chairperson Khekaho Assumi said the new traffic and parking arrangement would be enforced from June 1. Lauding the DMC members concerned for initiating a novel plan, Khekaho also expressed gratitude to Dimapur police and traffic personnel for giving valuable suggestions. “Besides streamlining of traffic and minimizing accidents, the manned parking lots will also ensure safety of vehicles,” he said.
Since the concept of parking tax is being introduced for the first time in Nagaland, the DMC chairperson appealed to public in general to co-operate with the municipal body which, he said, has to generate it own income for public service.
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