J&K has no money to construct multi-storey parking

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Apr 24: The dream of multi-storey parking for Jammu city could never become a reality as Jammu and Kashmir government does not have funds to construct the same to end the shortage of parking in the city.

According to the officials, for constructing three parking lots in different parts of the state, it has been estimated that it will cost Rs 131 crore, which is beyond the budget of state government and Jammu Development Authority (JDA).

When contacted Minister for Minister for Urban Development, Nawang Rigzin Jora said, “We don’t have money and we are looking for the private participation for the construction of these parking lots”.

The minister further said that no construction company of Jammu and Kashmir has come forward to spend such huge amount of money and Private Public Partnership (PPP) mode is the only option left to pursue the project.

Every year around 40,000 new vehicles were added to the existing fleet in Jammu district, which further compounded the traffic problems of city, but the casual approach of the state government towards the establishment of multi-storey besides parking slots in the city make it difficult to manage this heavy traffic rush.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Urban Development Department with coordination of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has planned to construct three multi storey parking to reduce the parking conjunction and smoothen the traffic chose in the city, but after the passage of more than two year the project is still incomplete due to one reason best known to the people sitting at the helm of the affairs.

As per the project, total proposed built-up area of bus stand is 46418 square meters in which around 80 buses and 1450 cars will parked at one time, in Panjthirthi the proposed multi storey parking area is 16545 square meters and it will have the capacity of 666 car parking whereas in City Chowk the area covered under the building is 10889 square meter and it will have the capacity to park 455 cars.