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Consultant misled ministers about project’s technical feasibility: residents

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 10/29/2013 12:58:38 AM

JAMMU, Oct 28: The agitating residents of blocks in close vicinity of Gole Market have assailed even the revised multi-tier parking complex at the site of Central Park alleging that the consultant would have misled ministers about technical feasibility of underground parking and shopping complex by ERA.
The protesting residents stated that even technically the proposal was ridiculous as it seemed that this project had been planned not to provide a facility for the people visiting Gole Market but for some other motives.
Secretary General of J&K Society of Technocrat and past region Chairman Lions International I C Jandial asked the consultants and designers of, what he chose to describe as, “this ill-conceived project” to name any other residential locality or town, where a rotary was used for construction of a parking lot. He said that while planning such a complex the fundamental aspects that were required to be examined in detail had been totally overlooked.
“In an effort to justify the utilization of the space available in Central Park Gole Market Gandhi Nagar, the designers have ignored various functional aspects of a rotary and the traffic hazards that are bound to occur as this Central Park has a convergence of all types of traffic from six roads coming from different directions. According to traffic norms, there has to be a minimum weaving length for smooth flow of traffic around any rotary and taking into consideration, the present traffic load in the area, the size of the roundabout is just sufficient and therefore there is no scope for any interference with it,” he said.
President Association for Self Help & Awareness (ASHA) Captain Anil Gour endorsing this view point, said that the proposed multi-tier complex envisaged two entries for cars and one exit besides entry and exit for two-wheeler.
“This is bound to result in cross movement of traffic in the roundabout thereby affecting the smooth flow of traffic. They have also ignored an important fact that the vehicles, seeking entry, always need waiting space and so they will at exit point. This is bound to create traffic jams in the area as this situation results in encroachment and interference with traffic hitting the roundabout. So, in all probability, the proposed complex would create more traffic problems than solve these,” Captain Gour said. He further said that it was obvious that the Consultant misled the ministers and ERA about technical feasibility of the project and a through enquiry in the matter should be undertaken.
Capt Gour further said that the consultant and ERA along with the Urban Planning Department should instead preserve this only available ‘lung’ in the shape of a beautiful Central Park as the Gandhi Nagar residents were already up in arms against this multi-storey project at the site of a park and concentrate their energies in getting the multi-tier parking lots for City Chowk, Super Bazar, General Bus Stand and Bahu Plaza cleared and constructed at the earliest.