Ajanta Neog in Golaghat on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Golaghat, Oct. 23: Ajanta Neog, the public works department minister, today laid the foundation stone of the first double-storey car-parking facility here, being developed by the Golaghat Municipal Board.

Addressing a public meeting on the occasion, Neog said, “The need for a systematised parking facility in Golaghat has been felt for a long time since the number of vehicles has increased rapidly in the past few years. The municipal board has been requesting me for a permanent parking facility for a long time. The project is a milestone achieved by the board and is likely to be completed within a year. But we will try to complete it within eight months.”

Currently, Golaghat town has a population of around 60,000 and the district has more than 70,000 registered vehicles. After Jorhat, Golaghat will be the second town in Upper Assam to get a double-storey parking facility. The building, spread over an area of 15,056 square feet, will be able to park 118 vehicles.

While the ground floor will be able to accommodate 42 vehicles, the first floor and the terrace will have space for 38 each.

The ground floor will also have two waiting rooms for drivers as well as washrooms.

The department of urban development under the Thirteenth Finance Commission has sanctioned the estimated expenditure of Rs 2.72 crore for the project.

While the Jorhat division of the PWD will build the ground floor at a cost of Rs 1.72 crore, the Golaghat Municipal Board will construct the first floor for Rs 1 crore.

A private firm called Hi-tech Construction will build the facility. Neog, who is also the Guwahati development department (GDD) minister, appealed for the active participation and co-operation of its residents to make it a clean city.

“The responsibility to keep a town or city clean rests not only with municipal workers but also its residents. Today, Golaghat is regarded as one of the most beautiful and cleanest towns in the state. It is because the people here have made an effort to keep it clean. I am the GDD minister but people in Guwahati do not give me any credit because the city is not clean enough. I, therefore, request the people to share the responsibility of turning it into a beautiful and clean city,” she said.

Golaghat deputy commissioner Julie Sonowal, additional deputy commissioners Krishna Barua and Debeswar Bora, municipal board chairman Ajit Barua, among others, attended the function.