Commercial use of basement parking leading to traffic congestion, residents bear the brunt

In a blatant disregard of norms, parking lots in the basements of large commercial buildings in Amritsar have been taken over by their owners for shopping and other commercial purposes. This has resulted in visitors being forced to park their vehicles on public spaces outside the buildings, causing traffic congestion and chaos.

Several plush buildings have come up in areas like Mall Road and Lawrence Road, but they lack adequate parking facilities. Instead, the spaces meant for parking are being used for commercial activities. This not only causes inconvenience to visitors but also leads to traffic blockades, especially in areas with high volume of vehicular traffic.

Residents have expressed frustration over the situation, citing the need for civic authorities to adopt modern concepts of urban planning. Anantpreet Kaur, a resident of New Amritsar, said, “The haphazard parking of vehicles in front of these modern buildings is not only an eyesore but also causes inconvenience to the public.”

The traffic situation is severe in these areas, with vehicles often parked outside hotels and other big establishments, contributing to the chaos. Harish Gandhi, a resident of Ram Bagh, emphasised that the owners of these establishments should have a civic sense and provide adequate parking facilities.

The civic authorities have introduced site plans with mandatory parking lots after 1997. Even as most commercial buildings have been constructed or renovated in recent years, these have failed to provide parking facility for their customers.

At places, the basements which were meant for parking are being used for storage and even for commercial purposes. While the roads witness frequent traffic jams as a large area is used for parking of vehicles, residents demanded that the local administration must enforce building bylaws.