The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has completed PC-1 for the construction of a multi-storey 'Charged Car Parking Plaza' in the vicinity of Civic Centre to be built at a cost of Rs 182.27 million.
The project is part of CDGK program to construct around 11 multi-level parking facilities in the city, worth billions of rupees, to cater to the growing needs of parking in Central Business Districts (CBDs). Official sources in Transport & Communication Department (T&C) of CDGK on Wednesday told Business Recorder that construction work on the said plaza would be started some time in the first week of December this year.
Duration for the completion of construction worth at the multi-story plaza was likely to take 12 to 18 months, they added. They said that officially the plaza would have a parking capacity of 679 vehicles including motorcars and motorcycles.
"Officially the plaza would have the space for 679 vehicles but it would have the capacity to accommodate around 800 vehicles", said the sources. The plaza would be a Ground + 4 building, rooftop of which, would also be used for the parking, sources said.
They said that management and operation of the parking plaza would be given to the private sector on contract basis. "Tender documents are being prepared, and the city government will soon invite Expressions of Interest (EoIs)," they said. The users would have to pay 10 to 25 rupees, which would be subject to increase as per timing of the parking.
The purpose behind the construction of high-rise parking lots is to release congestion on roads, which are flooded with illegal parking. "The project is aimed at providing enough parking space in the Central Business Districts like Zaibunnisa Street, Abdullah Haroon Road, Ghazanfar Ali Khan Road and other areas where demand for car parking is high," sources said.
It may be of interest that up to December 2006, around 2.14773 million vehicles had been registered in Karachi, out of which the number of cars stands at 44,944, both private and public (taxies).
Buses and minibuses number 21071; motorcycles 649067; mini-trucks/trucks and tankers 22989; rickshaws 42,043; van and pickups 76738; tractors 2868; lifters 2069; small vans (10 seaters) 317, and oil tankers 2271. Exempted Vehicles registration includes 1179 ambulances, 221 school buses, 67 coffin carriages, 102 disabled person vehicles, 124 trust and 41 church vehicles.