20 months on, MC yet to invite tenders for Panjtirthi parking

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 18

Despite having funds in account for about 20 months, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) is yet to invite tenders for the multi-level parking at Panjtirthi.

The work on the multi-tier puzzle parking project at Panjthirthi in the old city has not been started so far. Even the tenders have not been floated to assign the work despite the state government having approved Rs 20 crore for the project in April 2015.

The multi-tier puzzle parking was proposed to have a capacity to accomodate 240 vehicles and it was expected to be completed within 12 months, but even after more than 20 months nothing has been done.

In a written reply to an “unstarred” question raised by member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Rani Blowria in the Upper House, the government has disclosed that under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has to construct parking space for 240 vehicles at Panjtirthi at a total cost of Rs 28 crore, for which tenders will be floated in January this year.

The government in the written reply has accepted that there is a severe problem of parking in the old city area which results in traffic jams. The multi- level parking project was proposed to give some relief to the residents of the old city and during the tenure of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Chief Minister of the state, Rs 20 crore was sanctioned for it with a commitment to complete the work within 12 months.

Jammu, the winter capital city, has been grappling with severe problem of traffic chaos due to non-availability of parking lots. Nearly 3,500 to 4,000 new vehicles are added to Jammu roads every month. Nearly 40,000 vehicles are being registered in Jammu every year, taking the total number of vehicles in the district to above six lakhs.