Multi-level car parking facility at Thampanoor likely to open next year

The multi-level car parking (MLCP) facility at Thampanoor in front of Central Railway Station will be open by early next year.
The multi-level car parking facility at Thampanoor in front of Central Railway Station | B P Deepu
The multi-level car parking facility at Thampanoor in front of Central Railway Station | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The multi-level car parking (MLCP) facility at Thampanoor in front of Central Railway Station will be open by early next year. Though the facility is primarily for two-wheelers, there will be slots for cars also. Apart from these, there will be exclusive slots for women too, as part of ensuring safety for women. The project is being undertaken by Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) under the Smart City Mission project.

The five-storey facility (ground plus four floors) can accommodate 400 two-wheelers and 22 cars at a time. It also has internal and external electrical installations, a fire alarm, a fire-fighting system with a sump, as well as landscaping and allied works. The total cost of the project is Rs 18.89 crore. However, this will not be an automated facility.

“The construction of MLCP is progressing fast and it is expected to be completed by December this year. It will be opened to the public in the first quarter of 2023,” a source from the city corporation told TNIE.
Meanwhile, the financial bid for the fully automated MLCP at Palayam, behind the Saphalyam complex, will be open next week.

The technical bid for the project, which will be the largest facility in the city, was opened last week and three companies have participated in it. Sources said that once the tender is accepted, the work will be awarded to the contractor and the construction can start after a month. The project is being carried out based on the engineering-procurement-contract model.

The SCTL had to re-tender the project as the first company that was selected for the project had withdrawn as they demanded more money from SCTL due to the delay caused by the pandemic in the last two years. The project was awarded to a firm in 2020 at a cost of Rs 30.21 crore. Then, the firm completed piling and later the work was stalled due to the cost escalation of the project.

According to a corporation official, the proposed MLCP project at Putharikandam ground is likely to be revived. The project, which comes under the AMRUT scheme, was dropped as they could not do piling as the underground was filled with mud. A similar MLCP is also proposed at medical college. However, the authorities remain unaware of the project update. At the same time, the MLCP inside the corporation’s main office is operational, and many vehicles that come to the corporation use this facility. A new MLCP is also proposed behind the Connemara market at Palayam.

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