COIMBATORE: Minister V Senthil Balaji on Sunday inaugurated a parking area established by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) in front of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, ending six months ordeal for motorists. CCMC sources said it will be a paid parking facility and would soon be handed over to a contractor who would fix the rate.
In July, CMCH banned entry of patients vehicles into the premises. This decision, aimed at managing space constraints, resulted in severe traffic snarls and pedestrian inconvenience outside the hospital as motorists parked vehicles along the roadside on a 300-m stretch between Lanka Corner and the Classic Tower signal on Tiruchy Road. As a result, ambulances frequently got stuck in traffic. Traffic police permitted single-row parking on the road, and imposed fine on those who parked beyond the allowed area. , Activists and motorists urged the hospital and CCMC to find suitable parking solutions. TNIE had regularly highlighted the problems faced by motorists.
In November, the CCMC proposed a parking area along the Valankulam Lake bund. A consultant identified land opposite the CMCH’s new block to set up the parking lot. CCMC officers said the parking facility has been developed at a cost of Rs 56 lakh. CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said the facility can accommodate 403 bikes at a time. “The space, including the access road, covers about one acre and belongs to the civic body. We plan to set the parking charges similar to the Coimbatore railway station parking, as if we declare it as free parking, it may attract outsiders and affect railway station’s parking. After obtaining approval from the Corporation council, we will finalize the parking charges and would be run through the private on a contract basis,” he said.