Vehicles parked on road in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Oct. 31: The district magistrate has notified that all upcoming commercial units in the city will henceforth have to carve out a parking zone on their own land at the ratio of 20 per cent.

“The new rule makes it mandatory for owners of the upcoming units to provide designated parking spaces to customers,” Cuttack collector and district magistrate Girish S.N. told The Telegraph today.

The district magistrate has further notified 19 places as parking zones across the city for various types of vehicles.

“The demarcation of the new parking zones has been made on the basis of a proposal submitted by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation. The new parking areas aim to ease traffic congestion on several thoroughfares across the city,” Girish said.

Official sources said a sub-committee of the traffic management committee (police) had identified 19 spots to develop the parking zones. The civic body had accordingly submitted the proposal.

In a notification, the magistrate has instructed to erect traffic signals to bring the parking zones to public notice “for the purpose of regulating the speed limit of various categories of vehicles in the interest of public safety and convenience”.

Earlier, though the civic body had developed around 20 parking places across the city, many commercial and prominent market areas lacked the facility — which, in a way, caused traffic congestion in these places.

“People are force to park vehicles on roads because of absence of parking zone at several places,” said Markatnagar resident Saumendra Mishra. The committee had taken note of the parking problem near prominent business and market areas and identified 19 places through a joint survey by the city traffic police and the corporation.

“Now that the district magistrate has issued the notification, the civic body will shortly demarcate the zones as the parking spots,” said assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Pramod Rath.

Some of the prominent places notified as parking zones are the open area in front of Barabati Stadium (from Boat Gate to Horse Gate), the Buxi Bazar CDA market complex and the Sector VI market complex and fish market at Markatnagar. Besides, parking zones will also be created at the open space from Khannagar Chakh to Kali Mandir and near the Biju Patnaik Chakh Puja Mandap.

Two-wheelers will be parked in front of Old Jail campus, the municipality market on Ranihat canal road, the Akbar Khan Gudakhu building at Nimchouri and the District Rural Development Agency office building.

Besides, motorcyclists will get parking lots adjacent to Dargha Bazar Puja Mandap, near Gourishankar Park, Gopabandhu Park and from Howrah Motor Chhak to Matamatha.