Ghaziabad: Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) plans to build a multi-level parking facility at Raj Nagar District Centre (RDC) to tackle traffic congestion in the commercial hub. Officials said the tendering process will start next month.RDC attracts around 8,000 visitors on weekdays and up to 15,000 on weekends, leading to severe congestion and haphazard parking. An earlier attempt by GDA to create a no-vehicle zone, launched about seven years ago at a cost of Rs 4 crore, was withdrawn following protests by traders. The proposed parking facility is expected to improve traffic flow and pedestrian movement.A GDA official said that the project will be taken up on public-private partnership under the design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) model. A private entity will be granted concession to design, construct, fund and maintain the parking structure and recover its cost through user fees, after which it will be transferred to development authority.“We have issued request for proposal, and on Friday, pre-bid meeting will take place, and technical bid will be opened in the first week of Aug,” the official said.On the scrapped no-vehicle zone plan, the official said that the project had to be rolled back due to pressure from traders, who argued that businesses were adversely affected by shoppers being unable to drive straight to the shops.“GDA had resisted it, but owing to political pressure, we had to undo the no-vehicle zone overnight, after which the jam situation is back,” the official added.
