GMC officials seal a car showroom, Poddar Car World, on GS Road. File picture

April 22: Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) will continue with its drive against buildings which have not yet complied with the month-old notice dictating creation of underground parking lots in apartments and commercial buildings.

The GMC had served notices to 30 buildings for either not having underground parking lots or using the parking areas for other activities. But despite this, several buildings across the city still lack parking space.

The corporation has already sealed five commercial buildings in the Fancy Bazar during the first week of this month. It had also sealed a car showroom, Poddar Car World, on GS Road in Khanapara last week for violating the norms under the Guwahati Municipal Corporation Act, which makes it mandatory for commercial buildings and residential apartments to have parking spaces.

“Our drive to seal buildings that have still not made any arrangements for underground parking will continue. We have already sealed five buildings in Fancy Bazar and one in Khanapara. All these buildings were served notices in February. But even after nearly two months, they failed to create parking spaces. In the absence of such spaces, people have to park vehicles in a haphazard manner on the roads, thereby creating traffic congestion,” GMC commissioner Puru Gupta said.

“If owners of the sealed buildings provide us with a rectification report, we may issue an order to open the area that they wish to develop into a parking space. Our engineers will closely monitor them and we will allow them to open the entire building only after the parking space becomes a reality,” Gupta said.

These buildings had approached GMC officials asking for more time to be able to make arrangements for parking spaces.

“While a few buildings have complied with the notice, the owners of a few had asked us for more time. Most of these buildings were using their basements for commercial purposes or to store goods. We had them given them a month’s time. Even if they had been unable to complete construction of a parking area, they should at least have initiated the process,” Gupta said.

The GMC Act requires a definite space to be allotted in apartments and commercial buildings for parking of vehicles. In case of apartments, parking space for one car is allotted for each flat and a guest parking area has to be shared by four flats. On the other hand, in commercial buildings, a parking space of 1,000 square feet is allotted to each car.