KOCHI: A lack of parking facilities and traffic snarls have been the bane of those commuting through MG Road over the past few years. Customers visiting shops located on the road are forced to depend on the metro because of the limited space available for parking.According to him, only one pay and park facility is currently available on MG Road, which comes under the Kochi Corporation. However, the area opposite the Centre Square Mall that comes to roughly 16 cents is barely sufficient to accommodate the huge number of vehicles. Coupled with growing encroachments, parking space remains a problem for people visiting the area for various purposes.

“Land worth crores of rupees is managed inefficiently by the Kochi Corporation. They haven’t done anything so far to stop encroachments,” Mathews said.He cited the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) as a role model for the corporation to follow with regards to maintaining property.“They should give the plot on lease to Kochi Metro which will work out a master plan and manage it efficiently so that it will be of use ultimately to the public,” he said. Constructing a multi-level parking facility on corporation land was one of the solutions suggested by K S Dileep Kumar, president, Ernakulam Vikasana Samithi.

“The corporation can use CSR funds to set up the facility. This will also help protect the area from encroachments which the corporation has failed to do in the past. Steel fencing should be erected to avoid further encroachment,” he said.

According to him, the corporation plot originally came to around 21 cents, which has come down to 16 cents as a result of encroachment.Meanwhile, Sunila Selvan, the town planning standing committee chairperson, said steel fences will be erected in the area soon, as decided earlier in a council meeting. “Legal issues need to be resolved as the opposing party has filed a case. The Mayor will lead a spot verification on Monday,” she said.