Multi-level parking lots at Sarojini, CP to open by April

Friday, Jan 14, 2011




This summer, people visiting Sarojini Nagar and Connaught Place will not be complaining about lack of parking space. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has already constructed multi-level car parking (MLCP) structures at Sarojini Nagar and Baba Kharak Singh Marg, and is scheduled to open them by April.

Though the two MLCPs were to be completed by the Commonwealth Games, the work got delayed due to difficulty in getting clearances. However, by December 2010, the NDMC completed work on a nine-storey MLCP at BKS Marg and a similar eight-storey structure at Sarojini Nagar. In both the facilities, cars will enter through the basement and then be taken up by car lifts as well as other mechanical devices. While the structures took over two years for completion, the installation of the required machinery is expected to be completed in four months.

The MLCP at BKS Marg — with a parking capacity of 1,408 cars — is expected to cater to traffic coming to Connaught Place, Hanuman Mandir and state emporiums on the road. According to NDMC officials, parking a car as well as taking it out will take less than a minute. While driving the vehicle in, motorists will be given a slip bearing a unique identification number.

At present, installation work is being carried out by DLF, which is building the two parking lots on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. NDMC spokesperson Anand Tiwari said though the rates have currently been fixed at Rs 10 per hour, the authorities are yet to decide if the parking facility should be kept open on a round-the-clock basis. "These are some operational details that have to be sorted out before the parking facility is opened to the public," he said. The automated parking facilities will have car lifts, pallets and computerised control systems.

The MLCP at Sarojini Nagar will be able to accommodate 824 vehicles.

Though a third facility was to come up on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, the project is yet to see the light of the day. The site was cleared in December 2009, but work came to a standstill after the Archaeological Survey of India denied permission — pointing out that the heritage monument, Agrasen ki Baoli, is located just 300 metres from the spot. The 6,219-sq ft parking lot was supposed to hold 1,582 cars.

The plan to build three multi-level parking lots, for solving parking-related issues in the Capital, was floated in 2007.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/multilevel-parking-lots-at-sarojini-cp-to-open-by-april/737118/0