Onam Rush: Vigorous search on for parking space

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the grand festival of Onam round the corner, the City Corporation and Police authorities are on a mission to identify parking spaces for motor vehicles in the city. The city administration is busy charting out plans to accommodate the increased number of vehicles that will hit the city roads, even from the distant parts of the district.The City Corporation has decided to convert a portion of Putharikandam ground, which is usually used to organise carnivals and trade fares, into a parking lot that can accommodate at least 1,000 cars. The vehicles that come to the Fort region and also Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple can also be parked inside the ground. According to sources, the Corporation is also planning to convert the portion of Putharikandam ground into a permanent pay-and-use parking lot gradually after Onam.A strict ban has been imposed on parking vehicles along the roads near Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple anticipating a surge in the volume of devotees who throng the temple during the festival season. The ban will be on until the festival season ends.Steps have been also taken to earmark one half of certain roads, including Killippalam-Attakulangara bypass road, Attakulangara-Sreevarahom road and Power House road to park the vehicles of the people turning out to catch the festival action in the southern regions of the city.The police have identified parking spaces in the northern regions, where major festival centres like Museum, Kanakakkunnu Palace and Poojappura Ground are located, too.Besides Manaveeyam Road and Kanaka Nagar Road, which are the usual parking spaces along the Vellayambalam-LMS stretch, the authorities have also sought permission of the Public Works Department to allow parking inside the Public Office premise.A request has also been forwarded to the Information and Public Relations Department for permission to park vehicles inside the Tagore Theatre.