One more parking lot in city

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation has decided to open a new parking lot for motor vehicles in the city in a bid to address the rising complaints of motorists over the lack of sufficient parking spaces. The parking lot, the service of which can be availed on a pay-and-use basis, will be established on a portion of the Putharikandam ground, located in the busiest part of the capital city.  Deputy Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation G Happykumar told ‘City Express’ that the parking lot would have a capacity to accommodate around 100 cars and 50 motor bikes. The City Corporation is planning to officially open the parking lot to the public on November 1.  He also said that the parking lot would not affect the cultural programmes that are organised on the ground as it would be set up on one acre land on the north-east corner of the ground, which is spread over eight acres of land.  The entrance of the parking lot will be located along the Power House road, opposite the back gate of Thampanoor Central Railway station. The authorities have also acquired four cents of land owned by private individuals in the area to construct the entrance.  The decision to convert a portion of the Putharikandam ground into a parking lot was taken in a meeting of the Traffic Advisory Committee held a few days ago, after there arose an immediate need to identify a parking space for vehicles coming to the Sree Padmanabha Temple as the State Government had declared the temple neighbourhood as a high security zone.  ‘’The idea to convert a portion of the ground into a parking lot is nothing new. In fact, the space for the parking lot was already earmarked in the renovated plan of the ground,’’ said Happykumar.  Even though the parking lot will be officially inaugurated only on November 1, its functioning will commence this Onam season itself. No charge will be levied from motorists for parking their vehicles on the ground during the festival.  The inauguration was delayed to November 1 so that the ceremony can be conducted along with the opening of the Nakshatra Vanam project of the City Corporation on the ground.  Besides Putharikandam ground, there are presently four pay-and-use parking lots in the city - at Thampanoor, Gandhi Park, Palayam and Medical College, out of which the one at Medical College is almost defunct.