HYDERABAD: With a view to address the problem of unauthorised parking in public areas, which blocks the movement of vehicles and to promote access to affordable parking facilities, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to develop ‘smart (mechanised) car and motorcycle parking’ facilities at KBR Park, Gate-1, near Kadak Chai under Jubilee Hills GHMC Circle.
Official sources said this will be done under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode by engaging a private sector entity on a Design, Build, Finance, Operation and Transfer (DBFOT) mode on a pilot basis.
The multi-level smart (mechanised) car and two-wheeler parking facility, to be developed in 405 square metres, will accommodate parking space for at least 72 Equivalent Car Spaces (ECS) in total, of which around 20% will be exclusively for two-wheelers. The civic body has identified this location due to the absence or acute shortage of public parking facilities and the high demand for public parking from the public.
The GHMC has invited requests for proposals from agencies with technical experience and adequate financial strength in relevant projects for the development of smart parking facilities at KBR Park for a concession period of 10 years including the construction period. Bidders need to submit technical and commercial bids.
According to an assessment by the Director of the Center for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance, and Infrastructure Development at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), at GHMC’s request, the city requires at least 50 smart mechanised parking facilities.
The capital cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 3 crore, which includes the cost of construction, site investigations, project development charges and other pre-operative expenses. The selected concessionaire must install CCTVs at the MLP complex, covering all interior and exterior parts of the parking complex. Sufficient lighting must be provided by the concessionaire, and the operation timings of the project will be from 5 am to 11 pm.
Required skilled planning must ensure a clear pathway, including circulation for parking in and out, duly creating a waiting space. The ticketing system will only be through a ticketing machine, and in no case should physical tickets or tokens be issued. Smart card-based automated parking should be implemented, removing the human factor for regular car parkers.
Mobile app to provide real-time data
A mobile application will be developed with features such as SMS notification, real-time parking, Google Map integration to help users navigate to parking, an advance parking booking module, online payments and a dynamic QR code integrated for scan-and-pay parking charges. Regular monitoring and checking of software-related issues for digital/token ticketing systems will ensure effective operations.