Car owners, smile. Your car parking hassles are set to end.

Come October 29, the administration would hand over a semi-automated multi-level parking system at Buddha Smriti Park to citizens as a pre-Diwali gift.

The parking facility, which can accommodate 480 vehicles at any time, has been ready for use since early-2013.

But it remained unused owing to several teething issues. 

However, car owners are still a bit sceptical. “Before starting the facility, public awareness is a must. Next, the facility being a paid one, I doubt whether people would be ready to use it or not,” A.K. Thakur, a car owner and a banker, who drives to his office near Dakbungalow roundabout, which is barely 100m away, said. 

Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishore, who inspected the facility and the surrounding areas on Saturday, said an additional elevated ramp connecting the parking lot to Patna Junction would be constructed. 

“It is quite an irony that the facility, which can solve the parking woes at Patna Junction and its adjoining areas, couldn’t be started for almost two years after the construction got over. There were quite a few issues to be decided, related to the approach road for the facility and parking rates among others, which consumed a lot of time. Now, most of the work has been completed and instructions have been issued to start the facility from October 29,” said Kishore. 

The state government had first conceptualised the parking system, which is a project undertaken by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo), in 2009. The project was handed over to Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd and construction got over by early-2013.

The camera-based system has four floors and was built at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. The hourly parking rate for each car would be Rs 30. 

“The facility would mainly be used by people coming to and going from Patna Junction. The 200m proposed elevated ramp would connect the parking facility from its second floor to the Patna Junction booking counter. A person or a family can enter the facility, park their vehicle and then walk down the ramp to reach Patna Junction with their luggage,” said the commissioner.