Illegally parked autos block road to NMMC hospital at Vashi

Traffic officers say they will hold a meeting with auto union to solve the problem

The patients and the ambulances visiting the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) hospital in Vashi are facing a tough time because of the illegally parked autos on the road.

One has to take a left near Shabri hotel at sector 9 to reach the hospital from Vashi station side. However, 15 to 20 autorickshaws occupy almost half of the road throughout the day. Because of this menace, crossing the junction becomes a nightmare for patients and their relatives.

“The autorickshaws that ply mostly on the Vashi-Kopar Khairane road are illegally parked there and add to traffic issues in the area. The distance between the Shabri junction and the hospital would be hardly 300 metres. However, because of traffic congestion, it takes up to 10 minutes to travel that distance,” said Sudip Kothari, 29, a resident of Vashi.

“Patients from different parts of Navi Mumbai and the peripheral areas come to this hospital almost every day. It is unfortunate that to reach the hospital and to get treatment, the critical patients have to wait for a longer time and the traffic department is indifferent about it,” he said.

Dibakar Banerjee, 47, another resident, said, “Not only the traffic department, the auto drivers and their associations should also ensure that an accident victim or any other patient gets

treatment during the golden hours. So, they have to find a solution of the issue and keep the road to the hospital free 24x7. They should consider it as their social responsibility.”

Rajesh Babshetty, senior police inspector, traffic unit of Vashi, said, “We are aware of the issue. We will organise a meeting with the auto union, the local corporator as well as the Vashi police on Monday to discuss the problem. If autos are parked on the road even after that, we will take legal action against the drivers.”

Rajesh Pillai, 36, resident of Vashi, “Illegal parking is every where. RTO officials should look into the issue and resolve the problem. The problem areas are Sector 17, Sector 19 and other areas around hospitals.”

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SHABRI JUNCTION AND THE HOSPITAL IS HARDLY 300 METRES, BUT TAKES 10 MINUTES TO REACH THE HOSPITAL “We will organise a meeting with the auto union, the local corporator and the Vashi police on Monday to discuss the problem. If autos are parked on the road after that, we will take action against drivers,” RAJESH BABSHETTY, senior police inspector

BACHCHAN KUMAR Autorickshaws randomly parked on the road to NMMC hospital at Sector 9 in Vashi.

HT FILE ■ The road outside NMMC hospital at Vashi is always crowded.