Distance to other roads is a deterrent; demand grows for battery-operated ferry service

Mysore/Mysuru: The multi-level parking project at Town Hall that was inaugurated by Mysuru District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa yesterday, 10 years after its works began, has failed to attract vehicle owners to use the facility in city centre.

Only 10 to 15 cars were parked in the facility this morning that has a capacity to park 400 cars. Desperate to popularise the hassle-free parking, the authorities, who had declared yesterday that only four-wheelers will be allowed to park here, opened the facility for two-wheelers also today.

Ironically, the Minister set a target of accommodating 2,000 vehicles, but the reality today was quite different. Vehicles continued to be parked haphazardly on the roads surrounding Town Hall, including Ashoka Road, Gandhi Square and Sriharsha Road. None of the vehicle owners were interested in using the multi-level parking lot.

Vehicle owners cited the distance from the Town Hall parking to places like Devaraj Urs Road as a deterrent. They expressed concerns about having to walk back to their vehicles after conducting business elsewhere. The distance was discouraging for many.

“We cannot walk all the way to Urs Road, Ashoka Road, Sayyaji Rao Road and other areas after leaving our vehicles here. We have to walk back again in case we need to go out on business to other places. The distance is discouraging,” said a car owner who preferred to park on Devaraj Urs Road instead of making use of the Town Hall facility.

While launching the facility, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) had announced the availability of battery-operated vehicles to help people reach nearby areas after parking at Town Hall. However, these vehicles were not seen today.

People suggested that introducing such ferrying vehicles with regular service in brief intervals would make parking more convenient and encourage the use of the multi-level parking project.