GUWAHATI: To ease out the traffic congestion for the citizens of Guwahati, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated North East India’s first multi-level automated car parking on R G Baruah Road in front of Shradhanjali Kanan in the city on Tuesday. This advanced parking facility is developed by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) with a project cost of Rs. 14.33 crore.
Noteworthy that as many as 302 four wheeled vehicles and around 25 two-wheeled vehicles can be parked at a time in this Multilevel (Ground+5) Over Ground Puzzle Parking System (OGPS). This car parking system will be operated by technically skilled and trained personnel. To facilitate functioning of the parking system and to ensure safety, sensors are also installed at specified location.
This car parking system also provides facility for automatic ticket vending machine and CCTV surveillance system to monitor the entire parking premises. Besides, rest room facility for drivers, drinking water and lavatory block, provision for uninterrupted electric supply and additional assistance for special service by trained personnel are also available in the parking premises.
Coinciding the occasion, Chief Minister Sonowal also launched the service of Aquatic Weed Harvesters to keep the waterbodies of the city clean and free from aquatic vegetation and unwanted plants. The weed harvesters were procured from United States with an expenditure of Rs 7.5 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called upon the people of the city to join government initiatives to make Guwahati a smart city in the true sense of the term. He said that a series of activities have been launched to develop Guwahati as the gateway to South East Asia.
Terming the inauguration of multilevel car parking as a significant development, Sonowal said that this could immensely help in reducing traffic congestion. The Chief Minister mentioned that government of Assam is striving hard to carry forward the implementation of Act East Policy and to create a better environment for industrial growth.
Minister, Guwahati Development Department Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma in his speech said that the new parking facility would accommodate vehicles of people visiting both Shradhanjali Kanan and the State Zoo. He further mentioned that another three mult-ilevel car parking facilities would come up near MMC hospital, Sagarmal Saraogi Petrol pump and Ropeway connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati which is under construction.
Dr. Sharma also said that the newly procured weed harvesters would be pressed in to service for cleaning the Deepor Beel and Silsako Beel. Highlighting few other development initiatives, the GDD Minister stated that the road from Sukreshwar Ghat to Bharalumukh would be converted into a pedestrian zone from 3 to 10 p.m. on October 22 on pilot basis. This will provide new recreational avenues for the people of Guwahati, he said. Adding that the ropeway connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati would be dedicated to public in the middle part of 2018 and the erstwhile DC bungalow would also be opened as a centre for recreation in January, 2018.