Bhubaneswar, June 19: Passengers and commuters are worried over the public works department's decision to demolish the lone yard, where around 8,000 vehicles are parked every day, at the city station.

The works department, along with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, will demolish the facility to make way for the ambitious railway station multi-modal hub planned under the Smart Cities Mission. The administration has already demolished a few portions of the yard and the nearby boundary walls of the railway station to lay a four-lane road at the station.

However, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, the special purpose vehicle for the smart city projects to be implemented in the city, has proposed to redevelop the Master Canteen area, along with the railway station building. There the administration has plan for a number of developments, including construction of a multi-storey parking facility.

But, it cannot commit on the project's deadline, while saying that they will go for the demolition in a month or two. "We will provide an alternative option to the people. Although it will be difficult to find an exact area where around 8,000 vehicles can be parked, we will try to get enough space to replicate this facility till the construction of the proposed multi-level parking building gets completed," said a smart city official.

The yard, which is divided into two parts, has six shelters. The operator charges Rs 5 for parking a two-wheeler for 12 hours, while for four-wheelers, the rate is Rs 10. This is the only designated parking yard at the railway station.

"We have got the information about demolition of the parking yard. We hope that the administration will provide an alternative space for parking, otherwise commuters will definitely face trouble," said a parking yard operator here.

"My office is located in Angul. I go there by train after parking my two-wheeler at the station. I'll have to pay Rs 50 to an autorickshaw to reach the railway station, if I don't bring my bike. Instead of paying the money, I prefer to pay Rs 5 as the parking fee and some more cash for the petrol. It is going to be very difficult if the yard is demolished," said Patia resident Manoranjan Sahoo.

Another commuter, Sasmita Sahoo, who studies at Ravenshaw University, also cited similar problems. "I live at Khandagiri. I prefer to come here on my two-wheeler since it's a bit difficult to get transportation from my home to the station. I park my vehicle at the yard. I don't know what will happen if it is demolished," said Sahoo.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they would discuss on the commuters' problems before going for the demolition. "We understand the commuters' problem. We will look for an alternative parking yard before demolishing the existing facility. We will talk to the development authority, railway officials and others over the matter," he said.