Though the special purpose vehicle of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) -- Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) -- has begun work of automated multi-level parking plaza at Sitabuldi near the now defunct Apna Bhandar, the ground reality reflects that the project is based on a thoughtless planning. Instead of resolving the parking woes and congestion, it might even worsen the situation for those visiting the city’s main market. Apart from the question -- whether the plaza is sufficient enough to cater to the number of vehicles moving in and out of the market -- the authorities also do not have clear answers about entry and exit of the vehicles to and from this parking place. As far as official position is concerned, NSSCDCL has planned four parking plazas in city with an intention to resolve the parking problems. These areas include Gokulpeth, Anaj Market at Itwari, Gandhisagar lakeside, and the heart of Sitabuldi market. The proposed four plazas will collectively have a capacity for parking of 148 four-wheelers and 660 two-wheelers.

 

NSSCDCL has awarded the work to a private company, which will build the multi-level parking plaza under the Smart City Project. The private company will also operate and maintain the plazas for five years once the automated multi-level car and bike parking facilities are commissioned. In case of Sitabuldi parking plaza in particular, the officials seem to have been thoughtless about the element of proper planning. The plaza is taking shape in a congested space, surrounded on all four sides by narrow lanes separating the shops in permanent structures and makeshift shops. In front of each of the permanent shops, some vehicles are always parked. Besides, there is constant inflow and outflow of vehicles. People on shopping visit also move through these lanes to go from one shop to another. There is little scope for manouvreing of vehicles because of paucity of space. In such a situation, one wonders how the narrow space available as lanes will be sufficient for entry to, and exit from, the parking plaza.

The number of vehicles of shop-owners and their staff members is much more. The number of vehicles of visitors just adds to the number. But, surprisingly, Sitabuldi parking plaza is planned to have slots for parking of only 16 four-wheelers and 250 two-wheelers.

 

The road is so busy that such an inadequate parking arrangement will not be able to resolve the parking problem. Rajesh Dufare, General Manager (Mobility), NSSCDCL, first told ‘The Hitavada’ that the vehicles would have entry from different directions -- from Temple Bazar road, from main road, and from the road adjacent to Rajaram Sitaram Dixit Library. Later, he said that entry and exit for the vehicles would only be from Apna Bhandar building direction. When it was brought to his notice that Temple Bazar road was too narrow to accommodate several vehicles, Dufare said that entry of the vehicles would be from Sitabuldi main road and exit would be from the narrow lane adjacent to Apna Bhandar building that opened on to Temple Bazar road. At present, Sitabuldi main road is facing the problem of hawkers and driving vehicle on this road is not an easy task. How will the vehicles reach the parking plaza is another issue requiring a deeper thought. People can’t bring vehicles from narrow Temple Bazar road too. Merely setting up the parking plaza for the sake of it would not resolve the larger problem haunting the visitors.

 

Prakash Varade, Assistant Commissioner, Dharampeth Zone of NMC, under whose jurisdiction Sitabuldi parking plaza comes, had no idea about the entire thing. He said, “Nobody communicated to me about the project and how it should be used.” He also admitted that the approach road needed to be identified for the project to serve the desired purpose. Traffic Control Branch of City Police also needs to be the part of the collective planning process as it can offer some perspective on how to avoid chaos, based on knowledge of points of congestion and chaos. Surprisingly, it, too, was not aware of the finer details of the project. According to Vilas Chaudhary, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), “The authorities concerned have not informed us about the project. The plaza is still under construction. Once it is ready, the authorities will consult us. Then, we may chalk out other plans. Right now, we have no idea except that the plaza is being developed.” Given the situation that prevails in Sitabuldi, which is the main market area of the city, and its commercial transformation with pace, the number of vehicles moving in and out will go on increasing. However, the want of parking space may, in the long run, create problems not only for the area but also for the visitors.

 

Even if a multi-level parking plaza is to be developed, it needs a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the day-to-day activities of the area, type and number of vehicles visiting the market, nature of businesses and shops and commercial establishments or hospitals there, and a proper and detailed assessment of need. Without these and consultation with the stakeholders who will be directly affected, positively or negatively, due to the project, any proposal may not serve the desired purpose. Rather, it might add to the existing woes. Everyone knows what has happened to the parking plaza developed by NIT near Eternity Mall. NIT had developed city’s first automated multi-level car parking plaza in 2013, but it failed to attract vehicle-owners visiting the area. Nobody is using that place to park vehicles. NSSCDCL must learn from earlier such projects and take all aspects into account, while planning a new project.