BY ROQUE DIAS | NT
MARGAO: Private bus owners are found to be parking their route buses anywhere around Margao taking up whatever available space  in the town since bus parking at the old bus stand has been banned by a recent order to ease congestion.

The District Magistrate,  South,  Mr N D Agrawal,  in the last week implemented  the order, issued  by the then  district collector in the year 1988,  to move all the  buses from the old bus stand to the KTC bus stand and using it (old bus stand) only as a bus stop.
This move of the District Collector, Mr Agrawal,  however, has invited  the ire  of the commuters,  bus owners, and  those who are dependent on them for their business here at the old bus stand.  
The  bus owners  and others had  on earlier occasion negated the efforts of then  district collector, making use of the political pressure. 
“This is not the new order. I am  just implementing the 1988 order. The issue of  parking  was raised during one of the meetings and that the  traffic cell of Margao  had informed that they had the space at the old bus stand to be used for parking.  Considering the  parking woes of the people of Margao, I  was compelled to  implement the said order,” explained  the  District  Collector, Mr Agrawal, while speaking to this reporter. 
He  said that it is the need of the hour to decongest the city.  “I personally visited the place and after convincing myself, the instructions were issued to the  traffic cell,’’ he added.
Ever since the order was issued to these bus owners, many of them park their buses in the areas of Comba,  near Clube Harmonia, and on the shoulders of the interior roads closer to the town.  Sources  revealed that there  were  in all 130  buses  plying to 14 destinations from the old bus stand. But, recently, the 50-odd  city buses, operating from the KTC bus stand,  ply to Housing Board and Davorlim destinations without entering the town.  
The operators plying the buses on the routes of Betalbatim, Loutolim, Shiroda, and Verna  used to get more  passengers at the old bus stand, due the nearby market and  commercial offices, and hence used to park the vehicles at the old bus stand.
Interestingly, the bus owners claim that  “since 1988, a lot of water has flown down the Zuari bridge and lot of changes occurred in the town. Number of buildings increased without proper parking spaces.”
“We should also be taken  into confidence  while issuing these instructions as  there are practical difficulties faced by us in adhering to these orders,’’ a bus owner and the  former executive member of  bus owners association said.  
He pointed out that the  traffic congestion, from  KTC to the old bus stand,  is so much that there is no guarantee that within specified time, they would reach the old bus stand  to pick up  passengers  in only three minutes.
“On account of this  fear, many of the  bus owners look for the open spaces, and conveniently park the buses even on the road shoulders,  so that  we  reach in time and save our  trip to earn  the daily living,’’ he added. 
Another bus owner said, that they would not be able to grease the palms of the traffic police if they are shifted from here.
The parking issue and the development of open spaces within the town were also discussed in the Margao Municipal Council meeting held on Wednesday.
“For the  first time the council   took a resolution to  develop the open space and mark it as the  bus stop so that these  bus owners do not lose their business,’’ informed the councilor, Mr Avinash Shirodkar.  
He opined that the Collector needed to  discuss the issue  in  detail. Sources  informed that  several attempts made by the district administration were  foiled by the  politician themselves  fearing that  their actions may  boomerang on them at the time of election.
The city petrol pump owners and the market associations had also  joined them, and  the pressure created had led to the orders being put into the cold storage.