LUCKNOW, Dec. 7 -- Despite several interventions by civic and police authorities, parking woes continue to bother major commercial and residential areas in the state capital. Even as Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) claims to have notified several on-street and multi-level parking spaces, most of these facilities either lie in neglect or are misused, eventually choking the roads. Glaring lapses in enforcement and infrastructure exist in Patrakarpuram, Hazratganj, Aminabad, and the Power House intersection in Aashiyana, as was seen during a ground visit by this reporter. In Hazratganj, a multi-level parking facility owned by LMC exists. While it was found to be vacant, illegally parked cars spilt on the streets, which are a designated "No Parking Zone". Shubham Chaurasiya, a commuter, said shoppers often park their cars on the streets as it is easy. "Even government officials wrongly park their vehicles, and their vehicles aren't towed." In Patrakarpuram, cars and bikes were found parked haphazardly in front of a commercial complex near the intersection. Many of these vehicles belonged to government officials and police officers, as was identified by beacons and number plates attached to them. Their cars occupied the main carriageway, curtailing space for traffic movement. At Aashiyana's Power House intersection, the absence of a proper parking zone for four-wheelers has created a daily nightmare for residents and commuters. In the peak morning and evening hours, the area remains clogged as vehicles are parked randomly on both sides of the road. Locals said the situation has worsened over the past few months. "People park anywhere they find space. During office hours, it becomes impossible to move," said a commuter. The underground parking in Lalbagh located opposite the LMC headquarters has turned into a sort of garage where people have 'abandoned' their vehicles. "The parking area has several cars that have been parked here for weeks and even months. Shopkeepers leave their vehicles here for a long time and occupy the space meant for daily users," said a parking operator. Meanwhile, chaos rules the streets in front as wrongly parked vehicles choke the spaces, along with automobile stores. Officials admitted that enforcement remains weak and public cooperation is minimal. Meanwhile, LMC officials said they were carrying out regular drives to tackle the parking issue. Chief engineer Manoj Prabhat said, "The corporation has deployed cranes at all eight zones of the city to remove the wrongly parked vehicles. Vehicles parked in no-parking and restricted areas are being seized daily." Prashant Yadav, who operates a crane service under an LMC tender, said narrow roads and overcrowded areas make enforcement challenging. "Our cranes often get stuck while lifting vehicles from congested markets. Despite this, our team carries out the drive regularly," he said. In November, HT reported that LMC has received final approval to develop 58 on-street parking sites to curb traffic congestion and illegal parking. Its executive committee cleared the proposal this week, and works are likely to begin soon. The parking spaces will come up on Rana Pratap Road near National PG College, Aminabad Mandir Road, Lucknow Zoo, Madan Mohan Malviya Marg, and Vivekanand Hospital....