Space crunch hampers sewerage expansion, development of parks

Ambika Sharma

Solan, March 21

The lack of space has emerged as a key issue in the Degree College ward of the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC), where the scarcity of space has hampered the construction of parking lots, parks and the expansion of sewerage network.

Efforts being made to provide facilities

Despite an exponential rise in the number of vehicles, there is no space to construct public utilities like a parking lot or even a park to create green space. Efforts are being made to create these essential facilities and residents are being requested to permit sewage pipes through their land. — Abhay Sharma, councillor, Degree College ward

“Despite an exponential rise in the number of vehicles, there is no space to construct public utilities like a parking lot or even a park to create green space. Efforts to create these essential services could not succeed as lack of land hampered developmental activities,” said ward councillor Abhay Sharma.

As the ward houses the only degree college in the city, several housing colonies have sprung up to accommodate students and staff. Due to the absence of parking lots, commuters are forced to park their vehicles on the roadsides. This reduces the width of roads that can be used for commuting.

The Solan Municipal Corporation has failed to construct any new parking lots in the ward even though facilities have been built in other parts of the city. Given the large footfall of students, developing such utilities is the pressing need of the locality as large number of students and teachers reside in the vicinity of the college.

The narrow road, which leads to several educational institutes and universities like Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, as well as key places like Rajgarh in Sirmaur district, is insufficient for the voluminous traffic which crosses it on a daily basis. This often leads to traffic jams and the area has become a traffic bottleneck.

With houses having sprung up in close proximity, there is no space even for creating parks, which can give residents space to relax and walk. Though creating green space is essential for health, the ward is clogged with housing and commercial buildings, leaving little space for such public utilities.

The space constrain has also impeded the expansion of sewage facility, as residents are reluctant to lay pipes through their land. Though the setbacks left in the buildings are meant for such purposes, residents are averse to use that land for laying sewage pipes. This has hit the expansion of sewage facility.

Councillor Abhay Sharma said efforts were being made to create these essential facilities and residents were being requested to permit sewage pipes through their land as setbacks are meant for such civic amenities only.