Six new multilevel parking spots on cards; facility at Palayam to open next year
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The implementation of the proposed six new Multilevel Car Parking (MLCP) projects in the capital city is at various stages, with the facility likely to be opened in Palayam by early next year. The under-construction MLCP close to the Saphalyam Complex in Palayam will be one of the biggest such facilities in the state with a capacity to accommodate 300 cars at a time. It is likely to be operational by January 2024.
Currently, MLCP facilities are available on the city corporation office compound and opposite the railway station at Thampanoor. The facility has also been proposed at Putharikandam, Medical College, Chalai and Vaniyamkulam. The tender called for the proposed MLCP at Putharikandam ground will be opened on September 24.
Meanwhile, the tender for the MLCP proposed on the premises of the Secretariat at Statue will be called on September 15. Hence, the plan to construct the facility near Adhyapaka Bhavan has been dropped. The tender for the Medical College MLCP will also be called on September 15, while the tenders for the Chalai and Vaniyamklulam will be called in the third and fourth week of September, respectively.
According to Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL), the executing agency of the project, works on the six-storied fully automated MLCP at Palayam will be completed by December. “The city is set to get six more MLCPs. With this, the total number of MLCPs in the corporation will rise to eight. Of the six new facilities, five will be fully automated, except for the one at Vaniyamkulam. Also, parking for two-wheelers will be arranged at the MLCPs in Putharikandam and Chalai. Though the Palayam facility can accommodate 300 cars, we will provide space for 200 more cars to park here. There will be space to accommodate electric cars too,” said a SCTL official.
Work on the first two blocks of the Palayam MLCPs is expected to be completed by mid-October. The contract was awarded to a company called RRTL, the official said. The proposed MLCP at Vaniyamkulam near Aryasala will have a facility to park trucks on the ground floor. At present, this land is allotted for truck parking. It will be a normal MLCP that will also provide provision for commercial space.
SCTL officials said the MLCPs at Putharikandam, Medical College, Vaniyamkulam, and Secretariat will have a capacity of accommodating at least 250 cars. The proposed MLCP at Chalai that comes up at Erumakuzhy will be a smaller one, and it can accommodate a maximum of 100 cars. The SCTL is also in talks with the private landowners to take their land on lease to build the MLCP. The SCTL proposed more MLCPs as the city faces acute parking problems, especially in congested areas like East Fort, Statue, Palayam, and Medical College.