Owais Gul
Srinagar, Jun 16: The first and only automatic car parking in the commercial hub area of Lal Chowk continued to remain closed for the commuters from the past over month as the contract given to the agency has ended, thus leaving the commuters to lurch at large.
Commuters said that they are being forced to park their vehicles on the roadside as the only semi-mechanized car parking continued to remain closed for a month and a half.
They said after parking the vehicles on the roadsides, they are being challaned, thus leaving them to the lurch at large.
“Srinagar already lacks the parking slots. The government had come up with one such car park, accommodating a huge number of vehicles, but from last over month, it has remained closed and forcing us to park our vehicles on the roadsides,” Abdul Rashid, one of the commuters said.
Rashid said that he has been challaned a couple of times in the last one month as he had parked his vehicle on the roadside due to the lack of parking slots and closure of the semi-mechanized car parking.
Sources within the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) also confirmed the closure of the parking facility, saying that the contract given to the agency has come to an end.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairman, SDA, Bashir Ahmad Lone, said that the fresh tender has already been issued in this regard. “We have issued the fresh tenders and sought the quotation for tenders and only a deserving and knowledgeable person agency will get the contract,” he said.
He added that the process will be completed within three-four days, adding that the parking will resume functioning within one week.
