Work on two parking lots, tourism info centre begins in Palampur

The state Tourism Department has taken up three development projects comprising two multi-storey parking lots and a tourist information centre in Palampur city. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided funds for these projects.

Local MLA Ashish Butail, while talking to mediapersons here on Wednesday, said the three development projects would enhance the tourism potential of the city by upgrading old and establishing new facilities. He added that the tourism information centre would have a wellness centre and tourist recreational facilities. Besides, these new facilities would provide employment opportunities to local communities and boost their economy.

He said these projects had been hanging fire for the past 15 years for the want of funds. However, the government realised the importance of Palampur city and released Rs 70 crore secured under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) tourism projects. He added that these funds were part of the ongoing initiatives to promote tourism in Himachal Pradesh.

Butail said since Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had declared Kangra as the tourism capital of the state, strengthening tourism infrastructure in the district, particularly parking facilities, was the top priority. The proposed parking complexes would accommodate up to 800 vehicles.

The project, however, has a long history of delays. Though the Palampur Municipal Corporation had transferred 8 kanals to the state Urban Development Department in 2009, the plan remained stalled for 16 years. The foundation stone of the parking projects was laid twice by two Chief Ministers — first by Prem Kumar Dhumal in 2008 and later by Virbhadra Singh in 2014. An earlier attempt to execute the projects in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode had failed due to the lack of political and administrative willpower.

The decision to start the work on the parking projects has been widely welcomed. Gopal Nag, Mayor of the Palampur Municipal Corporation, thanked the Chief Minister and the MLA for pursuing the long-awaited projects. Gopal Nag credited Butail’s persistent efforts with securing funds for the projects.

As the number of vehicles in the region increases by 5,000 to 7,000 every month, parking has become a critical issue. At present, Palampur can only accommodate about 100 vehicles at designated spaces, forcing residents, students, businessmen and tourists to park their vehicles even in “no-parking” zones.