MCG redesigns Kaman Sarai car park due to litigation

After being stuck for nearly a year, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to redesign its multilevel parking project at Kaman Sarai, said officials

After being stuck for nearly a year, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to redesign its multilevel parking project at Kaman Sarai, said officials on Sunday.

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In November last year, the foundation stone for constructing the project was laid. However, with the main office of the Congress party and a few shops coming in the way of the project, MCG had sent eviction notices to shop owners and Congress party in December, stating that the land belonged to the civic body and had been illegally encroached upon.

Subsequently, the members of the Congress party had met with deputy commissioner, Amit Khatri, regarding the matter and also stated that they will approach Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the issue.

MCG officials said that a month later, the political party and shop owners had approached the local court and got a stay in the matter.

“We are redesigning the project in such a manner that the multilevel parking will be built on the land available to us so that we can start construction on an immediate basis. The approval of the design project will also be done internally within the MCG and hence, necessary formalities will not take too much time as such,” said Raman Sharma, chief engineer, MCG.

With the MCG unable to reclaim nearly 8,000 square metres of land due to the litigation, the agency has now reduced the total capacity of vehicles by nearly half, to around 1,100 vehicles. The new project is estimated to cost Rs 175 crore and is being built on around 7,000 square metres land. The facility will have three basement floors reserved for parking, while seven floors above the ground would be leased out for commercial purposes, including space for a multiplex, from which MCG is expecting to recover its construction cost, within a five-year period.

A senior MCG official privy to the matter said that the civic body hasn’t completely ruled out reclaiming the land currently occupied by the Congress and a few shops, to expand the multilevel project.

“We weren’t sure how long the litigation process would go on till, hence, we have decided to build the project on whatever land is available to us currently. Eventually, we are hoping to get the land back, demolish the illegal structures, and expand the parking facility,” said the official.

Parking is a major issue in the city, as there are only one multilevel parking facility and 43 sanctioned parking lots. Each year around 30,000 vehicles are registered in Gurugram.

Besides Kaman Sarai, MCG is also constructing a multilevel parking facility at Sadar Bazar.

Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, former cabinet minister and senior Congress leader, said that the move to redesign the project and leave Congress office was a positive decision by the government. “This is a historic office of the Congress and it has remained in existence when Haryana was formed in 1966. We appreciate this decision as tallest Congress leaders have visited this office,” said Yadav.