The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Multi-level parking lots inevitable in Mysore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 09, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Multi-level parking lots inevitable in Mysore

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, MARCH 8. Multi-level parking lots at strategic places and a rational parking fee are inevitable for solving the problem of finding parking space for the growing number of vehicles in Mysore, according to experts. The city has three lakh vehicles. With more than 3,000 vehicles being added to this number every month, the parking problem is bound to worsen.

The availability of parking space, particularly for four-wheelers, on D. Devaraj Urs Road, Dhanwantri Road and other main commercial hubs in the city was more or less assured till a few years ago. But that is not the case any more. With the number of vehicles set to touch the five-lakh mark in five years, finding parking space is expected to become a Herculean task.

H.R. Bapu, member of the Mysore Agenda Task Force, who is also retired Chief Engineer, Union Ministry of Surface Transport, said the city urgently needs multi-level parking lots. The mushrooming of shopping complexes in various parts of the city, accompanied by the liberal issuing of licences for hotels, is putting pressure on space.

"The Mysore City Corporation and the Mysore Urban Development Authority have to come to grips with the situation by placing an embargo on these runaway developments and earmarking areas for multi-level parking lots before it is too late," he said.

Most of the roads in the city have become narrower on account of the free parking on one side allowed by the authorities.

Pay-and-park

The abolition of pay-and-park system in Bangalore recently is expected to cast its shadow on the pay-and-park scheme, which is proposed to be introduced on certain roads in Mysore.

Although the scheme, which has been recommended by the city police to prevent theft of vehicles, is pending approval from the corporation, the scrapping of the scheme in Bangalore is expected to have its effect in Mysore.

But the scheme is in vogue in some places like the City Railway Station and inter-city bus stand.

But Mr. Satyanarayana said scrapping the pay-and-park scheme is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. "If pay-and-park is abolished, with what confidence can people park their vehicles and in which area?

The owners will be in perpetual anxiety when they go about their work after parking their vehicles.

The abolition of the scheme will be an open invitation to the mafia and crooks to steal the vehicles unless these areas are guarded by the police," he said.

Parking on pavements

Meanwhile, Mysore Grahakara Parishat has urged the authorities to prevent illegal parking of vehicles on footpaths.

Congratulating the police for putting a stop to the use of the footpath on Kalidasa Road in V.V. Puram for car parking, the parishat convener, S. Ramakrishna, said the police action has made vehicular and pedestrian movement smoother.

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