Kala Ghoda Arts Festival: Locals say cars, barricades are coming in their way

Locals living around the premises of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival complain that the vehicles parked by visitors and the barricades put up by festival organisers are inconveniencing them. Dubash Marg, which leads to gate number 2 of Kala Ghoda Festival grounds, is otherwise a free parking zone.

Cars parked by visitors are blocking the way for the vehicles owned by residents. Pic/Shadab Khan

Local residents, who usually park their cars in the lane, complain that they are finding it difficult to get their cars out of the lane, as the visitors park their vehicles ahead of theirs. The lane being narrow, the presence of other cars makes the lane too congested for local residents to drive their private cars to the main road.

"The visitors coming to Kala Ghoda Festival park their vehicles ahead of ours, blocking our way. If there is a fire or any other emergency, I wonder how the fire engine will make it to the festival area. The visitors urinate on the street. I really wish discipline was maintained," said Renata Goveas, a resident of K Dubash Marg.

Austin Lobo, a resident of Great Western building, said, "On Saturday, when I was returning home around 10.45 pm, they denied me entry into my lane. I had to take a much longer route to get home. The barricades are causing trouble for us. I am an art lover and I am not against an arts festival. But I believe it should be held in an open ground so that it doesn't cause inconvenience to local residents", said.