Parking for 1,082 vehicles at 11 new sites soon in U’khand to ease traffic jams

my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 17 Feb: The Uttarakhand Government has claimed that, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Housing Department has accelerated efforts to ease traffic congestion in major cities, pilgrimage centres and tourist destinations across Uttarakhand by creating additional parking facilities. The Housing Department has shared that, in this regard, parking facilities at 11 locations in the state are nearing completion and will soon become operational, providing space for 1,082 vehicles.
As per the government officials, soon after assuming office, CM Dhami had directed the Housing Department to ensure the development of parking facilities in large cities as well as at important pilgrimage and tourist centres through the respective Development Authorities on a war footing. Following these directions, proposals were received for development of parking facilities at 195 locations. These included options ranging from surface parking to multi-level parking and even tunnel parking.
On the basis of these proposals, the Housing Department has so far approved Detailed Project Reports for parking facilities at 114 locations, for which the budget has also been released. In the first phase, parking facilities accommodating a total of 3,244 vehicles have already been made operational at 54 locations. The officials further claimed that, in the second phase, construction work at 11 additional locations is approximately 80 per cent complete, and that the Housing Department has set a target to complete these works within the current financial year. Once completed, these sites will provide parking space for 1,082 vehicles.
In addition, the Development Authorities are undertaking construction of parking facilities at 11 more locations from their own resources, which will create additional parking capacity for 359 vehicles.
Secretary, Housing, Dr R Rajesh Kumar has directed all the Development Authorities to expedite the pace of construction. He has instructed that parking facilities at all identified locations must be made operational before the forthcoming yatra season. He also emphasised that adequate arrangements for toilets, lighting and cleanliness must be ensured at the parking sites, and directed that quality standards be strictly adhered to during construction.
Uttarakhand witnesses the arrival of crores of visitors each year for pilgrimage and tourism. With improved road connectivity, an increasing number of people are travelling by private vehicles, naturally leading to traffic congestion in several areas. The government has claimed that in view of this growing challenge, sustained efforts have been undertaken over the past four years to expand parking infrastructure at various locations across the State. Work at several sites has already been completed, and once the ongoing projects are operational, the problem of traffic congestion is expected to be reduced to a considerable extent.
It may also be reminded here that CM Dhami has recently reiterated the Government’s commitment to strengthening urban infrastructure and ensuring better traffic management across Uttarakhand.