Ahmedabad

The state’s Urban Development Department’s is drafting a policy whereby all new buildings, residential and commercial, coming up in the city will have to pay extra money for the parking space well in advance or at the time of construction. This means people will have to shell out more for parking their vehicles in the parking space of a building. Money collected from the parking fees will be used to solve parking problems in other areas.

According to sources, five sectors like mall, multiplex, hotel, hospitals and institutional buildings will be initially targeted. Once the plan succeeds, it will be applied to commercial buildings. The reason behind choosing this sector is that people are already being charged when they park their vehicles at these buildings. Five new polices have been framed by the department. Two of which are already in place.

First is the parking policy and the other is a slum development policy. Chief Minister Narendra Modi was presented the draft policy in May 2010. But decision in this regard is yet to be taken. Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel said, “We have been successful in implementing the policy of residential townships. Collection of parking fees from new buildings was also discussed. Once the department proposes it, we will think over it.”

Sources said, “Out of 172 villages, 68 villages have been merged in AUDA from February 13, 2009. This was announced a few days after the Nano plant came to Sanand. The government wants to focus on 43 villages in and around Sanand and has signed an MoU with Japan to make these villages eco-friendly zones. An attempt to charge parking fees will be made here first.”

AUDA has already prepared a development plan (DP) of 1,295 square km, which covers 104 villages. But they are yet to frame a DP for the remaining 595 square km. They have been asked to prepare DP of this area in six months. They want to make a parking facility that will ease the traffic and parking woes, the sources said. There is no parking discipline in current building policies.

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