Convert NR Choultry land into multi-level parking lot

Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry Management Committee President C. Krishnappa’s suggestion to District Administration, Police

Mysore: The vexed issue of vehicle parking on the commercial hub of D. Devaraja Urs Road in the Central Business District of Mysuru City could soon be a thing of the past if the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the City Police come together and accept the suggestion of converting the spacious campus of Nanjaraja (NR) Bahadur Choultry on Vinoba Road into a multi-level parking facility. Not only Devaraja Urs Road but parking problem on the streets of Shivarampet and Dhanvanthri Road can also be solved if the multi-level parking facility opens at this land. The suggestion of parking lot has come from none other than Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry Management Committee President C. Krishnappa. The Committee manages the affairs of Choultry and it is a Government-constituted body. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Krishnappa said that of the 10 acres of Choultry land some portions are leased out to commercial establishments and one acre of land has been granted by the previous State Government headed by Siddharamaiah to build a hostel for Maharani’s College. The entrance for hostel will be from Northern side of Choultry near Vartha Bhavan. “There is a lot of space up to five acres behind the Choultry that can be utilised for multi-level parking,” he said. 

So far, the City Police and the MCC have nearly exhausted all options including the introduction of pay-and-park facility, hourly parking schedule but have failed. So much so that the MCC had called for tender four times in the past to introduce pay-and-park system on this road but no one came forward to participate in the tender and hence, it has been kept in abeyance.

Shop owners and their staff on Devaraja Urs Road park their cars from 9 am to 10 pm on both sides of the road. Hence, over 80 percent space is occupied by them. As such, the public is put to a lot of inconvenience as only the remaining 20 per cent of the space is available for them. 

So it is a common sight to see many car owners waiting endlessly for a place to park their vehicles. This results in causing traffic problems. Hence, many hesitate to go to DD Urs Road. 

Krishnappa said that funds from Muzarai Department (that governs NR Choultry) can be used to construct the multi-level parking complex. “After building the structure, tenders can be called and the Government can earn crores of rupees by opening the facility. A simple example of this is Palace South Parking near Maramma Temple. This small parking lot is given for a tender of more than Rs. 1 crore. At NR Choultry, multi-level parking facility can fetch crores of rupees if managed well,” he says. 

The issue of providing land for multi-level parking was discussed at a recent meeting of Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry Management Committee. The Committee resolved to prepare an action plan on space utilisation for public use. Also, several other resolutions were passed on making best use of available vacant space for public benefit. 

Police Commissioner welcomes move

City Police Commissioner K.T. Balakrishna welcomed the suggestion made by NR Choultry Management Committee President Krishnappa. Speaking to SOM, he said that such a facility could ease parking problem in the city centre. 

“It is a good suggestion and based on it, we can write to the MCC or DC and explore the option of using the vacant land of the Choultry to build a multi-level parking facility,” he said.