The State government on Monday finally inaugurated the much awaited multi-level car parking in Panjim, which is built on an area of 2586 sq mts and can accommodate 465 cars.
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar said that this project is built after a lot of study and research to stop traffic congestion in the capital city. Locals as well as the tourists should take due advantage of this project in order to have a smooth ride in the state.
“It is brought to my notice that this multi-level car par facility is completely not as per the latest disability norms and I have approached the GTDC to complete the due modifications which are required,” said Parrikar.
“We had given directions to the casinos that they can park their cars in the facility and guests can take the bus service from here to the desired location, which will decrease the congestion in a major way.
“Panjim, which is the capital city of Goa and a tourist spot, has been given a big boost in terms of tourism infrastructure and the new multi-level car parking project will help decongest Panjim and will be unique project in the state of Goa,” Parrikar added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar stated that this project is a boon to the state as a steep rise of 20% each year is seen in the number of tourists.
“This is a unique project with State-of-the-Art facility. The quality of this project, along with other mega Government projects, will surely change people’s perception towards Government constructions. We shall surely have more such projects in Panjim and other parts of the state,” Parsekar said.
The government has announced that the first seven days for parking at the facility will be free after which the commuters will have to pay a parking fee.
GTDC Chairman, Nilesh Cabral said “The MLCP is one of the important beautification and infrastructure projects commissioned this year. The MLCP is a unique facility being provided for tourists and locals and we shall encourage people to use the MLCP which will reduce traffic congestion in Panjim.”
“Multilevel car parking projects should be taken up in other cities of Goa as well, which will help reduce traffic congestion. We have been making efforts to put all tourism infrastructure projects in place and will ensure continuation of the good work being done,” said Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar.
The Cycle Party, a 10-seater pedal powered vehicle was officially inaugurated by the Chief Minister. The ‘Pedipus’ concept is popular in Europe and North America. The young entrepreneurs Heta and Harsh Patel have chosen Goa as the launch site. All the Cycle Party vehicles are made in Goa and have created work opportunities for mechanical and technical teams.
The MLCP has been constructed at the cost of Rs 35 crore and the main aim of the commissioning of the MLCP project is expected to ease traffic congestion in the capital city and improve vehicular movement in and around Panjim.
A total of 465 cars will be accommodated in the MLCP complex. The parking arrangements have been designed on ground plus four levels. On an average, 87 cars can be parked on each level. There are two independents circular ramps for free movement of vehicle for entry and exit.
This project had been undertaken to develop tourist facilities under the Integrated Development of Infrastructure for Heritage and Hinterland Tourism in Goa, with the financial assistance from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
What the citizens say: Herald spoke to some citizens for their views on the multi-level parking.
Majority of the people told Herald that this parking facility will help a lot in decongesting the traffic caused by the tourists, who just park all along the route and visit the casinos and the Santa Monica joy rides.
A citizen from Margao had to say this “I won’t park my car at the facility and then catch a local bus which will be totally inconvenient. But on the other side this can be a huge hit if the government provides an alternative commuting service, which will drop commuters into the heart of the city.”
“In my opinion this facility is built only to cater to the casino going people, as now if you see the situation is worst, as tourists just park their vehicles every evening along the roadside, which chokes the traffic and causes further traffic jams,” said David D’Costa.
On the other side the newly constructed multi-level car parking is not completely friendly for people with disability and that can be a major failure, as it can cause inconvenience to those people.
Initially the ticket process will be taken up by GTDC and later the entire ticketing procedure will be tendered to a private company.
