Mysuru: Parking has remained a particularly painful problem in Mysuru’s Central Business District (CBD), and despite the agencies’ best efforts over the past decade-and-a-half, commuters continue to complain about the agonising ordeal of finding a spot on the busy roads in the commercial hub. The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), meanwhile, is keeping mum on this longstanding issue, with no funds having been earmarked in this year’s budget to address the problem.
In 2008, the MCC Council had proposed the construction of a multi-level parking lot at Gadi Chowka near D Devaraja Urs Road, where both shop owners in the many establishments in CBD and customers could park their vehicles. Unfortunately, the plan did not materialise, much to the chagrin of the residents, who continue to bear the brunt of bureaucratic inaction.
About six years ago, MCC invited bids from contractors, with the aim of rolling out the pay-and-park system on D Devaraja Urs, Sayyajirao and Ashoka roads, but there was no interest evinced from private agencies, even when bids were invited a second time.
A year ago, Mysuru city traffic police had appealed to shopkeepers on D Devaraja Urs Road, to convince employees to park vehicles at a specific place, which they said would help mitigate the problem to some extent. Yet again, this initiative fizzled out without anything changing on the ground.
Former mayor Ayub Khan said that a proposal had been submitted to the government, outlining the need for the a parking lot at Gadi Chowka. “We suggested building the facility on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model, but the government rejected the proposal, and asked the MCC to build the lot by itself. The land is still vacant. It is very suitable for the construction of the parking facility, and the authorities have to think about this again,” he said.
Former mayor BL Bhyrappa called on the MCC to act swiftly to address the problem. “The MCC must have reserved funds for projects aimed at addressing the parking problem. When I was the mayor, we invited bids for the pay-and-park system, but we received no response. This was because we wanted an electronic system for dispensing tickets, whereas the contractors were insistent on the manual system. The proposal is still pending with the MCC,” he added.
President of the Traders’ Association of D Devaraja Urs Road, Y Veerabhadrappa said that they had assured the cops of abiding by any decision they took vis-à-vis of the parking problem. “As long as arrangements are made for parking of vehicles of both the owners and employees of the shops at Town Hall or Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry. Traders on Ashoka Road and Sayyajirao Road are willing to cooperate with the agencies, insofar as persuading customers to park at a specified location. But a decision needs to be taken by the MCC, district administration and police,” he said.
A senior police officer said that they were studying the problem of making arrangements for parking in the CBD. “We will take a decision on this longstanding issue soon,” he said.
In 2008, the MCC Council had proposed the construction of a multi-level parking lot at Gadi Chowka near D Devaraja Urs Road, where both shop owners in the many establishments in CBD and customers could park their vehicles. Unfortunately, the plan did not materialise, much to the chagrin of the residents, who continue to bear the brunt of bureaucratic inaction.
About six years ago, MCC invited bids from contractors, with the aim of rolling out the pay-and-park system on D Devaraja Urs, Sayyajirao and Ashoka roads, but there was no interest evinced from private agencies, even when bids were invited a second time.
A year ago, Mysuru city traffic police had appealed to shopkeepers on D Devaraja Urs Road, to convince employees to park vehicles at a specific place, which they said would help mitigate the problem to some extent. Yet again, this initiative fizzled out without anything changing on the ground.
Former mayor Ayub Khan said that a proposal had been submitted to the government, outlining the need for the a parking lot at Gadi Chowka. “We suggested building the facility on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model, but the government rejected the proposal, and asked the MCC to build the lot by itself. The land is still vacant. It is very suitable for the construction of the parking facility, and the authorities have to think about this again,” he said.
Former mayor BL Bhyrappa called on the MCC to act swiftly to address the problem. “The MCC must have reserved funds for projects aimed at addressing the parking problem. When I was the mayor, we invited bids for the pay-and-park system, but we received no response. This was because we wanted an electronic system for dispensing tickets, whereas the contractors were insistent on the manual system. The proposal is still pending with the MCC,” he added.
President of the Traders’ Association of D Devaraja Urs Road, Y Veerabhadrappa said that they had assured the cops of abiding by any decision they took vis-à-vis of the parking problem. “As long as arrangements are made for parking of vehicles of both the owners and employees of the shops at Town Hall or Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry. Traders on Ashoka Road and Sayyajirao Road are willing to cooperate with the agencies, insofar as persuading customers to park at a specified location. But a decision needs to be taken by the MCC, district administration and police,” he said.
A senior police officer said that they were studying the problem of making arrangements for parking in the CBD. “We will take a decision on this longstanding issue soon,” he said.
