Parking chaos in ‘vehicle-free’ RDC commercial hub, Ghaziabad authority proposes two multilevel parking

The decision, officials added, was taken after a committee formed by the authority surveyed the area on October 18 and found it choc-a-bloc with vehicles parked in an unauthorised manner

Officials of Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Tuesday said they have recommended the construction of two multilevel car parks and the clearing of encroachments in Raj Nagar District Centre (RDC) to resolve issues such as roadside parking, and encroachment of parking spaces and roads in the area. The decision, officials added, was taken after a committee formed by the authority surveyed the area on October 18 and found it choc-a-bloc with vehicles parked in an unauthorised manner.

Vehicles illegally parked along a main road in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

RDC, an area spread over about 100,000 square metres in the heart of Ghaziabad is a hub of malls, multiplexes, bars, restaurants, retail showrooms and eateries etc. and witnesses heavy footfall every day. The RDC also has in vicinity the Ghaziabad district court, office of senior superintendent of police, district headquarters and New Ghaziabad railway station. In 2020, GDA created a “vehicle-free” zone on one of the major roads in the area, complete with a walking pathway, sitting area and kiosks. However, the commercial centre has relapsed into chaos, authority officials said.

“To decongest the RDC for good, we have recommended the creation of two multi-level car parks that can accommodate about 1,000 vehicles. According to our estimate, there are usually 2,000 vehicles parked on roadsides in RDC at any point of time in the day. Licensed vendors have also encroached upon parking spaces,” said Rakesh Kumar Gupta, chief engineer of GDA.

“The committee, after the survey, recommended that licensed vendors be removed from the designated parking areas and parking areas be developed. Further, different agencies should coordinate and remove encroachments on public spaces. The proposal for the development of two multi-level car parks will be put before the GDA board in the next meeting,” Gupta added.

The authority has identified two plots of land in RDC where it plans to develop the parking lots on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

“Instead of becoming a ‘vehicle-free’ zone, the authority’s 2020 project blocked a major master plan road and the RDC is full of vehicles. It has not become vehicle-free yet. After the project, the authority did not come up with proposed parking spaces and this has led to further traffic chaos on RDC roads,” said Rajendra Tyagi, councillor from Raj Nagar.

“This is also affecting businesses and posing problems for residents living nearby. It seems that the huge investment made by the authority has not yielded results,” Tyagi added.