Jammu’s first of its kind facility faces teething problems
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Sept 8: Despite its formal inauguration last month, Jammu’s first of its kind multi-crore mechanized car parking facility in Old City is yet to be made fully functional owing to incomplete work and some teething problems.
Even after more than three weeks since the Super Bazar multi-level mechanized car parking facility at Old City in Jammu was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on August 17, around 30 percent work of the project is still pending, official sources told the Excelsior.
Out of the eight blocks in the multi-level parking, only six have been completed so far while the mechanized gate on exit point of the facility is get to be erected, sources added.
Similarly, sources further said, the vital mechanical work for lifting the parked cars to upper levels is still under process while the installed fire safety system has not yet been certified by the competent agency.
Built with latest technology and security parameters, this is the first of its kind mechanized car parking facility in entire North India. The facility has the capacity to park 352 cars and 162 two-wheelers, including SUVs. The eight storey facility has been developed by Economic and Reconstruction Agency (ERA) at a cost of Rs 33.11 crores for easing out the traffic congestion in Old City areas, particularly Raghunath Bazaar, Purani Mandi, Kanak Mandi, City Chowk etc by a great measure.
Even as the project was scheduled to be completed and inaugurated two months back, sources said that some shopkeepers in the vicinity did not allow the work to be executed near the exit point. They were demanding adequate passage to their business establishments behind the JDA complex and hence opposing erection of parking gate at the exit point, sources added and pointed out that even fencing by ERA near the exit point was uprooted by these shopkeepers.
Besides other incomplete works, controversy on the exit gate was the major issue that delayed handing over of the project by the executing agency ERA to JDA, which was however, done only two days back after the intervention of Divisional Commission Jammu and the other top authorities.
When contacted, Vice-Chairman of Jammu Development Authority (JDA), Rajesh Shavan admitted that there was some procedural delay in taking over the project owing to the pending work. “Now the JDA has taken over the utility and made it functional through not fully because of some mechanical problems and as temporary arrangement, we have deployed JDA staff for manual registration of the parked vehicles,” he said.
However, on the other hand, CEO ERA, Vinod Sharma claimed that project work was almost completed, except computer setting of two blocks and erection of exit gate. “The problem was being created by some local shopkeepers and vendors but the mater has been resolved now and the pending work will also be completed within days,” he claimed.
MLA Jammu-East, Rajesh Gupta, who was instrumental in negotiating between the local shopkeepers and the authorities, alleged that some vested interests were creating un-necessary hurdles in completion of the pending work and making the car parking facility fully operational.
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