The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has finally decided to dismantle the multi-storeyed mechanised parking facility on Jangli Maharaj (JM) Road. The facility has been shut for several years despite repeated attempts to revive it.
Citizens criticise waste of public money
City residents have criticised the waste of public money, highlighting that a much-needed facility on a prime route near a Metro line, built for crores of rupees nearly two decades ago, has fallen into disrepair due to lack of maintenance and poor operational planning by the PMC. The civic body's most recent plan to hand over the facility to the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) last year also failed to materialise.
Technical challenges cited
Sources from the civic administration told TOI that a detailed study of the facility was carried out before the latest decision was taken. The study highlighted many technical challenges, leading to the conclusion that running the facility in its existing format was no longer viable.
Some of the basic observations revealed that since the parking lot is over a decade old, the available parking slots are meant for smaller cars and not big enough to accommodate SUVs and larger vehicles. Significant modifications would be required to address this issue. Sources also said that the entire facility underwent a structural audit, which proposed either major repairs or complete dismantling.
PMC initiates tendering process
Now, the PMC has initiated the tendering process to appoint an agency to pull down the structure. Officials said the plan will include dismantling the old and existing mechanical parking towers, along with transportation, stacking, weighment, and allied works for the same.
While this plan has been finalised, the administration is yet to decide on whether to reconstruct a parking lot at the same spot or use the vacant space for other purposes. “We are still to finalise a plan regarding reconstruction of the entire facility or whether it can be used for other civic amenities,” a civic official said, requesting anonymity.
Public demand for new parking facility
Frequent visitors to the bustling JM Road, however, said the PMC should commission a parking lot at the site and this time, ensure it is used. Atul Jadhav, who often visits the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Garden on this stretch, said he routinely faces a huge challenge in finding parking space for his car. “JM Road is very busy and parking is a perennial challenge here. PMC has provided roadside parking and one civic parking lot is operational in the Deccan Gymkhana area, but these still have a limited capacity,” he pointed out.
Local vendor Sachin Tupe said, “PMC should revive the multi-storeyed parking. If developed well, it will fetch good income for the administration and reduce problems of citizens when it comes to roadside parking, illegal halting of vehicles, etc.”
