Proposals for improving the city’s parking facilities are still hanging fire with no considerable progress in the completion of allotted works. Though private agencies in the parking business are cashing in on the laxity, the Kozhikode Corporation and the district administration remain unmoved by the motorists’ plight.
Two multi-level car parking projects, one along Railway Station Link Road and another at Kidson Corner, are yet to show any sign of being successfully completed in the near future. The work on the first project near Link Road has been pending for more than five years. The project has been delayed even after the second round of the foundation stone laying ceremony.
“Though the project along Link Road was expected to accommodate 700 cars and 800 motorcycles, it could remain a pipe dream,” said Mohammed Rizwan, a trader in the area. He said the wayside space near Link Road had been converted into the biggest illegal parking space in the city in the absence of other options.
With the ban on vehicles on S.M. Street, shop owners and customers are finding it hard to make use of the available private space inside the street. Though one of the major parking grounds on the street is open, the restricted entry from the main entrance continues to be a hurdle for many. A public parking facility in the area has been projected as a solution to the problem.
“The plan was to construct a 7,579-sq.-m parking plaza at an estimated cost of ₹45.43 crore. Nobody knows the status of that much-hyped proposal now,” said Rajendran Chenakkal, a merchant. He said there was chaos in the area with the illegal parking of vehicles on the wayside.
Meanwhile, some Corporation officials said the shortage of funds had affected the completion of many of the proposed pay-and-park facilities, including the one planned near the EMS Stadium. The pandemic crisis coupled with the funds crunch was derailing many similar infrastructure development projects in the city, they added.
At the same time, the delay in the execution of public sector parking facilities has given a fillip to a number of private entrepreneurs in the field. They are now charging hourly-based fares without following official rules. Many operators do not even assure the safety of vehicles in such parking spaces. The call to introduce some uniformity in parking fare has also remained unattended.