Despite the capital city of Bhubaneswar having two multi-level car parking (MLCP) buildings, the problem pertaining to the parking of vehicles is still there where it used to be.
In order to solve the parking problem in the ever-increasing capital city, two MLCP buildings have come up at a cost of crores of rupees. The Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited executed the projects through a private agency. Of these two buildings, one is near Market Building and another is at Sahid Nagar. While the former has the facility for around 450 cars, the latter can accommodate around 250 cars.
It was expected that once these two MLCP buildings were inaugurated, the parking problem in the city would be solved. But, that didn’t happen.
While the city residents choose to park their vehicles by the roadside encroaching upon the space for commuters, they seem to be feeling reluctant to go to these multi-storied parking buildings.
Some city dwellers ascribed this to the parking fees collected from the vehicle owners. While the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fixed Rs 10 per hour for a two-wheeler, Rs 20 per hour is charged for a four-wheeler. Thereafter, the parking fee will go on increasing by Rs 5 and Rs 10 for an extra hour for two-wheeler and four-wheeler respectively.
“The road is chock-a-block after 4 pm. Instead of parking their vehicles at the MLCP building, vehicle owners are parking here causing problems to the commuters,” said Sai Prasad Rao, a city resident.
Informing about the parking facility, Saroj Kumar Jena, a parking staffer, said, “This building can accommodate around 200 cars and 1000 bikes. But people are hardly coming here. They are doing so to avoid paying Rs 40 entry fee.”
The BMC is creating awareness among vehicle owners through the public address system. Sometimes, penalties are also being collected from the vehicle owners who are found parking their vehicles by the roadside. Yet, the situation is not improving.
“The MLCP buildings are not only to solve the parking problem but also to find a solution to traffic congestion on roads. At the MLCP parking buildings, people are getting shed and security facilities. People are cooperating,” said BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange.