After the completion of the Lok Sabha election later this month, the Chennai Corporation will develop multi-level parking lots for one lakh cars at an estimated cost of ₹2,000 crore at 101 locations across the city.
The Corporation has already identified 12,000 parking slots in areas such as Anna Nagar, Vepery, Besant Nagar and T. Nagar for on-street parking. “The parking management system for the on-street parking will be inaugurated after completion of Lok Sabha elections,” said an official.
Residents of the city own an estimated 10 lakh cars and 40 lakh motorcycles. “The idea is to figure out how to accommodate one lakh cars in the parking spaces,” said an official. The parking lots are expected to decongest the roads.
The Chennai Corporation has identified 101 parcels of land in all the 15 zones of the city. The plots belong to the Chennai Corporation, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Railways and Chennai Metrorail. “The important locations identified by the consultant include Broadway, Richards Park, Uttamar Gandhi Salai, Sivagnanam Street, Thiruvanmiyur Market and a site near the Vadapalani Temple,” said an official.
Many of the lands are located near railways stations, metro stations and bus stops. Currently, the civic body is developing a multi-level parking lot only on Thyagaraya Road in T. Nagar.
Development of the multi-level parking lot has also been proposed near Kannappar Thidal and Wall Tax Road.
Multi-functional use
Many of the lands will be developed as multi-functional property.
The Corporation has also identified OSR lands and playgrounds for development of underground parking lots. But the final decision would be made only after completion of the detailed project report.
The earlier proposal of the Chennai Corporation to develop parking lots in playgrounds in T. Nagar during the DMK regime was opposed by residents. The civic body shelved the proposal after residents protested.