The failure of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in executing its ambitious parking projects has left shoppers, traders and the area residents to persistent parking woes. The much awaited multi-level parking lots at business hubs like Chandni Chowk and Kamla Nagar are yet to see the light of the day even as the North Delhi Corporation completes one year post trifurcation.
The civic body is coming up with multi-level parkings at Parade Ground in Chandni Chowk, Kamla Nagar and Model Town. The foundation stones for these parking lots were laid five years ago. However, officials are still uncertain as to when would these facilities become operational.
“The projects are almost complete. A deadline for making them operational would be decided by the next meeting of standing committee,” said Ram Kishan Singhal, Chairman of the Standing Committee in North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The delay in commissioning of these projects continues even as the Delhi High Court had set a deadline of March 31 for making the parade ground parking lot fully operational. The unified MCD in February 2012 — ahead of the Assembly elections — had inaugurated the 1,020-car capacity underground
multi-level parking lot in a hurry even before the structure had been completed.
Built at the cost of `52 crore, the Parade Ground parking lot has the capacity of 1,020 vehicles. While the underground parking space can accommodate more than 700 cars, the surface parking area has the capacity of parking 300 cars. Similarly, the Kamla Nagar automated multi-level parking was envisaged in 2007 and lieutenant Governor of Delhi Tejendra Khanna had also laid the foundation stone the same year. The parking project is spread over 3,200 square metres and has seven levels that will accommodate 834 cars and 300 two-wheelers. A multi-level parking is also under construction at Model Town; the fate of which is also uncertain.
As traders at Chandni Chowk rued, they continue to jostle for parking space despite construction of the parking lot in the area. “We have written to the Municipal Commissioner several times to make the parking lot operational but we are yet to hear from him. One has to fight for parking a vehicle in Chandni Chowk. While the civic body has failed to provide adequate parking facility, the traffic cops have made things even more difficult by putting several restrictions,” said Sanjay Bhargava, president of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vypar Mandal.
Traders also demanded to develop the nearby Gandhi Ground parking into a multi-level parking. “The parking lot is in a bad shape and needs renovation. Even UTTIPEC has cleared the project of modernisation of Chandni Chowk. We have written to lG also in that regard,” Bhargava added.
While the civic body is still to start the projects which are underway, it also plans to open multi-level parkings at seven other locations including Shastri Park, Karol Bagh, Sant Nagar Rani Bagh, furniture market at Kirti Nagar, Padam Singh Road Karol Bagh, Karampura Commercial Complex on Qutub Road and Hamilton Road.
