Sakchi Sand Line Road, popularly known as Sakchi Highway, can now bid adieu to parking woes with Jusco completing a dedicated parking zone to ease snarls at the most happening place in this commercial hub that houses several shopping malls, banks, restaurants and other business centres.

Spread over 4,000sqm, the dedicated parking lot, having a capacity to accommodate 60 cars and 140 two-wheelers, was thrown open on Friday, promising smooth traffic and better vehicular management on the busy thoroughfare.

Around Rs 35 lakh has been spent on the parking project.

"The parking place has been developed as per the specifications of Indian Road Congress. We will hand over the facility to Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) next week. Till then no charge will be levied for parking vehicles at the newly developed site," Rajesh Rajan, Jusco spokesperson, told The Telegraph.

Once JNAC gets possession of the facility, it will appoint an agency through an open tender to look after the day-to-day affairs of the parking arena.

The urban local body will also fix the parking fees for cars and two-wheelers.

Currently, JNAC charges Rs 5 for two-wheelers (bikes) and Rs 20 for cars as parking fees in Bistupur and Sakchi. A JNAC official said that charges on the Sakchi Sand Line Road would be similar.

Visitors as well as shop-owners have welcomed the facility.

"The East Singhbhum district administration removed all illegal garages that had mushroomed along the Sakchi Highway and cleared encroachments around six months ago. Now, Jusco has converted the vacant spot into a spacious parking slot. It is a good move and will help prevent haphazard parking, blocking the traffic on the busy road," said Neha Verma, a homemaker who visited a retail mall on Sakchi Highway in her car on Friday. Earlier, she used to park her vehicle on the road while shopping but on Friday, she parked the vehicle at the new parking slot.

A youth, Pawan Malhotra, said: "We shuddered at the thought of visiting the area in cars. So we used to take two-wheelers whenever we went to the restaurants there. Now, we can again think of using our cars."

The Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) appreciated the Jusco efforts. "There was an utmost need for a parking area on Sakchi Highway. People used to park their vehicles right on the road, disrupting traffic movement. This problem can be avoided with the new facility becoming operational now," SCCI president said Suresh Sonthalia.