Bhubaneswar, June 30: The civic body today decided to convert under-utilised conservancy lanes into parking lots.

Conservancy lanes are spaces between rows of houses, especially around government quarters developed by the general administration department. Such lanes are abundant in areas such as Unit-I, Unit-II, Unit-III, Unit-VIII, Chandrasekharpur and Saheed Nagar.

In the first phase, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will clean and level the conservancy lanes at Bapuji Nagar.

The area is one of the city's busiest commercial zones and deals with a heavy rush of vehicles at all times of the day, and the decision has been taken keeping these aspects in mind.

The conservancy lanes, which were meant for passage of cesspool vehicles, fire engines, ambulances and other utility and emergency vehicles, have turned into dumping yards for nearby houses.

"Some councillors have raised the issue of under-utilised conservancy lanes. Last month, we decided to clean these lanes, and have completed the job already at Unit-II and Unit-VIII," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

"This time, we have decided to go a step further and use them as parking spaces. We will shortly begin work on the conversion," Jena said.

Parking remains a major problem in and around Bapuji Nagar because of its electronic market.

At present, the civic body operates on-street parking facilities, which often contribute to traffic problems.

As Bapuji Nagar is located near Raj Mahal Square, which acts as a connecting link with the railway station and the airport, it adds to the strategic importance of the area.

"It is a good move to utilise conservancy lanes for parking. Parking is a major problem here since it is surrounded by a number of prominent establishments, including the Unit-I and Unit-II markets and the electronics market," said Sanyal Mohapatra, who owns a shop in the electronics market here.

The civic body has also decided to make a zone-wise survey to identify encroachment of roads and drains.

Sources said respective zonal officers had been asked to identify the encroachment and they would undertake an eviction drive after the Asian Athletics Championship concluded next month.