JAIPUR: Residents of the Walled City area facing inconvenience due to
non-availability of parking space will continue to suffer as the Jaipur
Development Authority has pushed the deadline for the project to provide
parking areas till November.

This is the third time the JDA has
extended the deadline for the Ramniwas Bagh parking project. The
earlier deadline of April 2012 was extended to August 2012 by urban
development minister (UDH) Shanti Dhariwal during his visit there. The
minister, however, warned the contracted firm of imposing penalty in
case of further delay.

According to the JDA official sources,
the work cannot be completed before November. “At the underground level,
we have to lay a roof on approximately 2,000 square metre area.
Similarly, the first floor roof has to be laid on 3,000 sq meter area.
The work of ventilation and fire fighting system is also remaining,” an
official said.

Meanwhile, the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA)
has finalised the draft design for the Ramlila Maidan parking proposed
to reduce congestion. According to the JDA town planning cell, approval
has been given for entry and exit of vehicles at the multi-storey
underground parking from Ramniwas Bagh by interconnecting both the
parking spaces of the two areas. Also, the proposal to construct a ramp
near New Gate for the vehicles exit is being considered.

However, the town planning wing has rejected its extension from MI Road.
A senior official with the town planning department said a few problems
still remain in interconnecting both the parking spaces of the two
areas. JDA will appoint a consultant to solve the problems within this
week.

Around 700 vehicles can be parked as per the design
finalized for the multi-storey underground parking at Ramlila Maidan.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 35 crore and it would take
around Rs 5 lakh to develop parking space for one car.

The JDA
has yet to decide whether the project should be developed on
build-operate-transfer (BoT) basis or develop it on its own.

An
official said the JDA (project and engineering ) wing has recommended
that the project should be developed on BoT basis and few commercial
units should be developed. However, looking at the space constraints,
the town planning wing is still apprehensive.