Parking blues await tourists

Though countdown has begun for the Commonwealth Games, Pink City showcasing the regal heritage through the annals of history does not have proper parking slots inside the Walled City. Domestic as well as foreign tourists

don't find proper parking places for their vehicles. Cabs and other vehicles carrying tourists are parked along the roads of historical landmarks, adding to the woes of regular commuters.However, the most frequently visited site Hawa Mahal near Bari Choupar seems to represent the chaotic scene across the Walled City. The civic body for years have been doing the lip service about improving the condition. Tourist vans, buses and private taxis make a serpentine line along the roads and add to the already congested main road. Hawa Mahal Road assumes great significance as it also handles quite a substantial Delhi-Jaipur traffic.

Filth, no parking slot near Jal Mahal don't amuse tourists. Hundreds of vehicles are parked either along the road or service lanes of the main road. JMC authorities claim that the civic body has been preparing a draft plan for the development of half a dozen parking slots across the Walled City which did not see the light of the day till date.

Most of the tourists on sightseeing spree eventually shop at Johari Bazaar, Purohitji Ka Katla, Chhoti Choupar, Chandpol, Choura Rasta etc. These areas have been in a chaotic situation for over a decade. These markets offer wide range of hand-made goods and textile products. However, according to local traders, they have been hit due to lack of proper parking space.

A jeweller Ashok Gupta said, "The shopkeepers are forced to park their vehicles on the road after which hardly any space is left for our customers. We have repeatedly requested the JMC to give us a separate space for parking, but nothing has happened so far. It badly hit our sales prospects as the tourists do not like to walk along this huge market."

A JMC official said the city has not been prepared to handle additional load on road. "We as of now not able to handle the current load of vehicles. How we would be coping with the additional burden during the Games. We really need to create many modernised parking slots at strategic locations across the Walled City. I doubt that facilities could be created before the Games," he added.