Jaipur: Several Bani Park residents opted for NOTA (none of the above) in Friday’s municipal election to protest persistent traffic congestion and parking problems in the area, the Bani Park Resident Association said, alleging repeated complaints to BJP MLA Gopal Sharma and the district administration have not yielded results.Residents said congestion is most acute around Collectorate area, which houses key govt offices and the district and sessions court, and affects the Sawai Jai Singh Highway, a crucial corridor linking Bani Park to Sikar Road on one side and the main city on the other.According to resident Pradeep Baheti, vehicles of lawyers and people coming to court and govt offices are routinely parked across three lanes around Collectorate Circle and along nearby roads, with parking extending up to a kilometre away. “This problem has been going on for nearly 10 years. We have raised it with the govt several times, but there has been no improvement. So, this time, people in Bani Park decided to vote NOTA to draw attention to the issue,” Baheti said.Residents alleged vehicles are parked in front of residential gates, hampering movement during emergencies, and said schoolchildren are also affected. They claimed lawyers’ agitations often halt traffic around the entire Collectorate Circle, diverting vehicles into internal roads of Bani Park and adjoining colonies. “School buses cannot get through when the circle is blocked. Children coming from schools can sometimes take around two-and-a-half hours to reach home because of the congestion,” Baheti said.Apoorva Verma, another resident, said, “The irony is that the entire administration is seated here; collector and other govt officials face this traffic daily but the problem remains unsolved.”Residents said the issue was earlier raised with former Congress MLA Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and repeatedly with BJP MLA Gopal Sharma, but “despite three elections passing,” the situation remains unchanged.With new projects and multistorey buildings coming up in Bani Park, residents fear conditions could worsen. Baheti said the matter needs intervention beyond the ward level, and the residents’ association plans to approach the collector with a larger delegation.
