No land exchange yet, Solan parking project faces delay

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 30

The exchange of land between the local municipal corporation (MC) and the defence authorities has been delayed here. The MC authorities have failed to construct an entry gate and complete minor works on the land to be exchanged at the Kather Bypass providing entry to the cantonment authorities from the Kalka-Shimla highway.

The existing gate, which leads to the local cantonment at the old bus stand, is to be acquired to pave the way for a multi-level parking project.

The non-completion of the gate and other related works has put on hold key multi-level parking project at the old bus stand which was also to cover the defence land after the exchange. A parking facility for 156 vehicles was to be constructed on three floors. Since the exchange of land has failed to take place, the project was hanging fire for years.

Hanging fire for years

• The non-completion of the gate and other related works has put on hold the key multi-level parking project at the old bus stand which was also to cover the defence land after the exchange
• A parking facility for 156 vehicles was to be constructed on three floors. Since the exchange of land has not taken place, this project is hanging fire for years

A contract was signed to complete the construction of a gate and related works last year. Targeted to be completed in six months, the work was yet to be executed even after lapse of a year.

“Two notices have been served on the contractor to complete the work. He has promised to complete it within a month as 80 per cent work had been completed. He had earlier cited shortage of labour in view of the pandemic as the cause of delay,” informed Commissioner, Solan, MC, LR Verma.

“A detailed project report to construct a multi-level parking would be constructed after the exchange of land and it would then be sent for funding to the state government,’’ informed Verma.

Creating more parking areas was pressing necessity of Solan as commuters were forced to park their vehicles along the roads. This often led to police issuing challans. The residents resented that successive governments have failed to expand parking areas despite multifold increase in the number of vehicles in the town.

Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Kritika Kulhari, said she had recently inspected the ongoing work underway at Kather Bypass and issued directions to the MC staff to expedite the work. Once it is completed, modalities of exchange of land would be undertaken to pave way for the work on the parking project.

All political parties have promised to address this key issue of concern to the residents but have conveniently forgotten once the polls are over. The outgoing municipal committee held by the BJP kept harping on this issue but nothing happened on the ground. All eyes were now focused on the recently upgraded municipal corporation and it is expected that the project would finally see the light of the day.

The issue was also taken up recently by the Beopar Mandal with the Urban Development Minister. Beopar Mandal president Mukesh Gupta said the minister assured that he would look into this long-pending demand of the Solan residents as there was an urgent need to ensure early exchange of land to pave way for this parking project.

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