THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a move to mitigate parking woes on MG Road, one of the busiest corridors in the city, with a slew of government institutes, commercial establishments and universities along its stretch, the Smart City Mission is gearing up to set up an electro-mechanical car parking system at Palayam. The Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) has invited proposals for design, supply and installation of the proposed parking space, which can accommodate close to 568 cars and 270 bikes. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 27.95 crore. An official of the SCTL said the project would be completed in 15 months and the winning concessionaire would be responsible for carrying out comprehensive maintenance of the facility for five years.
“The car parking system is being planned at the Trida (Trivandrum Development Authority) owned land near Palayam Connemara Market. The bidder is expected to come up with the latest automated parking system solution. The smart parking system would be a boon for hundreds of motorists. Inadequate parking surrounding the Secretariat is a persistent issue and once this facility comes up, motorists would be able to park their vehicles safely and walk the distance,” said the official. He also noted that curbside parking along MG Road has become an inconvenience for the pedestrians.
SCTL authorities are also planning to introduce a share auto project at Palayam to facilitate the motorists parking at the facility. “People can avail the services of the share autos to reach their destinations from the parking facility. We will be launching the e-autos very soon,” said the official. The authorities are further planning to allocate designated parking space in the facility for private and public organisations located in the vicinity. “As the parking facility is slated to be built in the land owned by Trida, the revenue generated from the facility would be shared with them. Kudumbashree workers would be roped in to operate the facility. Skill training would be imparted by the agency entrusted with the project,” said the official.
In a nutshell
SCTL has invited proposals for design, supply and installation of the proposed parking space on a piece of land owned by Trida. The project is estimated to cost around B27.95 crore and would be completed in 15 months. The bidder would be responsible for carrying out comprehensive maintenance of the facility
for five years.