SHILLONG, March 16: Shillong’s first multilevel car parking facility, erected near the Additional Secretariat complex at a cost of Rs 6.5 crore, stands almost deserted weeks after Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma formally inaugurated it on February 5.
The mechanised structure, rising eight levels high along Vivekananda Road, was built under the Shillong Smart City Limited initiative with the promise of easing the persistent traffic snarls and parking crunch in one of the capital’s busiest administrative zones.
The facility can hold up to 58 light motor vehicles, complete with automated entry-exit systems designed to make parking quicker and safer than the chaotic roadside scramble that has long plagued the area.
Yet when the gates were finally thrown open to the public for the first time this Monday, the vast concrete tower welcomed only a scattering of cars.
Most drivers, undeterred, continued to park their vehicles along the narrow stretches of roadside nearby, preferring the familiar inconvenience over the new facility.
Last week, the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner had issued a formal notification to introduce structured parking fees collected through an Electronic Ticketing Machine.
As per the order, light motor vehicles will be charged Rs 20 for the first hour and Rs 10 for each hour thereafter, with the daily cap set at Rs 150. Those wishing to leave their cars overnight have to pay a flat Rs 100.
Officials remain hopeful that once stricter enforcement clears the surrounding roads of unauthorised parking, and word spreads about the convenience and security the multilevel facility offers, more motorists will make the shift.
