Habibganj parking arrangements go for a toss

HOPAL: It has been four months since Bhopal Shatabdi came to Habibganj railway station. However, all the traffic and parking changes implemented have failed miserably with chaos reigning supreme at the station.
To ensure a smooth transition, railways had changed the parking arrangement at Habibganj railway station from September 1 last year. Entry of vehicles was barred from the main gate of the station side towards Habibganj Naka while five lanes were designated for regulation of traffic.
However when TOI visited the station premises on Sunday afternoon, just before arrival of 12002 New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express, none of the ‘changed parking arrangements’ seemed to be in place.
At the very outset, no vehicles were to be allowed to enter through the main entry of the station towards the Habibganj Naka side. Vehicles coming from MP Nagar and Habibganj Naka were to be diverted from the Food Plaza towards the station entry. It was deemed to be used only for exit purposes.
But Sunday saw vehicles openly flouting the ‘no entry’ rule with not a single cop stationed outside to monitor or stop the vehicles from entering.
Then, the first lane, closest to station premises, was supposed to be the ‘drop and go’ lane. However, it was choc-a-block with amber and blue beacon and other government vehicles on both sides of the lane. Such was the appalling condition that other vehicles were left with just a narrow strip of lane available to them.
This was again a clear violation when lane no 2 was already designated for government vehicles and lanes 3, 4 and 5 were for four wheeler parking.
Coolies who were outside waiting for passengers told TOI that even when a traffic cop mans the station entry, he seldom stops VIP or ‘lal-batti’ cars from entering. “Most are either senior ranked babus or politicos. Who would like to lose his job over a trivial issue?” said one.
When contacted, DSP traffic Sunil Sharma, in charge of Habibganj station claimed, “No entry of four wheeler vehicles from main gate is a zero tolerance issue. We constantly monitor vehicles during and after the arrival of Shatabdi.” When questioned on the chaos that prevailed on Sunday he said, “I will look into the matter on propriety basis.”