A multi-level car park on Rawdon Street. Will we have one in every highrise soon?

Problem: Shrinking parking space in the city.

Solution: Construction of multi-level parking lots in the mandatory open space of hotels, commercial establishments, malls and private highrises.

According to an estimate of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC), there is a net shortage of parking space for around 26,000 cars at any given time during peak hours. And the crisis is accelerating at an alarming pace.

As the civic authorities stand convinced that it is beyond them to create parking space for so many vehicles, multi-level car parks on the premises of private buildings seem to be the only solution to the problem.

?We are working out a proposal to allow off-road, multi-level car parks in the mandatory open spaces of residential and commercial buildings,? said municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay. ?Permission to utilise the mandatory open spaces for construction will be given only for creation of parking lots.?

The importance of multi-level parking lots in a cluttered city like Calcutta was stressed by J. Visser, director of Dutch multi-level car parking company EWW Technische Bedrijven BV, during his meeting with the municipal commissioner last week. The firm is providing technological support to the underground parking project in front of New Market. ?Such car parks can be set up both above the ground or under,? suggested Visser.

The traffic police, too, have been urging the CMC to set up more parking facilities in the city. The civic authorities have so far created roadside parking for a little more than 4,000 cars. But in doing so, they have made carriageways narrower on the designated roads. ?Creating parking space across the city will not be possible unless the owners of private buildings cooperate with us by constructing multi-level parking lots,? said Bandyopadhyay.

Civic engineers have explained to the commissioner that instead of creating more parking space in a particular zone, the CMC should take steps to add extra parking space in pockets all over the city.