Headed for CP? Leave your car behind

Tuesday, Jun 16, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

If you are planning to visit Connaught Place any time soon, make sure you leave your car behind. With the CP restoration project gaining steam, all parking lots in Inner, Outer and Middle Circles are being retendered by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). And in the process, it's a free-for-all in the heritage area as there is no authorised parking in most of the lots at present.

On Monday, the area was a complete mess. With no parking attendants, cars were parked in a haphazard fashion, bringing down the capacity of the lots. "There was absolutely no parking in CP. I took two rounds of Outer Circle and wasted half an hour before I was left with no other option but to park at Palika and walk down to N-block,'' said Ritika Mahajan, who had to visit a travel agent in Outer Circle.

In most of the parking lots, people had just left their cars. "There is no one to look after the cars. Now someone has parked in front of my car. How am I supposed to get out of the parking lot?'' asked Vishal Kumar, who had come shopping to Inner Circle.

At several lots, the parking mafia had taken over with attendants illegally collecting money from those coming to park, even though their contracts had expired. Due to paucity of space, the spillover of vehicles from the lots choked traffic on the main road, especially in Outer Circle.

NDMC had reportedly come up with a plan to permanently remove all parking from Outer and Middle Circles. But following stiff opposition from the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), a collective of shop owners in CP, it was forced to review the decision. "This central business district spread over three lakh square metres needs parking space for 9,000 vehicles and we have a capacity of just 5,000. How can this space be reduced further? We are all for development, but not at the cost of business,'' said Atul Bhargava, president, NDTA.

Association members recently met NDMC officials when they were assured that the parking lots will be retendered soon. But on Monday, problems prevailed. NDMC officials claimed that the decision was taken so that space is available for dumping construction material required for the restoration of the buildings. "Now, part of the parking lots will be used for construction while parking will be allowed in some portions. While work is going on, some problems are expected. But the matter will be resolved once the tendering process is completed in about 7-10 days,'' said a senior NDMC official, who didn't wish to be named. Restoration work will be executed in a phased manner in Middle Circle.

Connaught Place, constructed in the 1930s, reportedly offers the best pedestrian space available in any open market in the city with a verandah of 20 feet and a walking plaza of 15 feet.