Automated parking lot opens in Sarojini market

FIRST EVER Facility to make parking hassle-free, ease congestion in bylanes
With the city's first automated multi-level parking facility -with a capacity for 824 cars -being inaugurated in Sarojini Nagar on Thursday, parking in the area will now be a hassle-free affair.

All shoppers will be required to do is leave their vehicles on the ground floor of the facility.
Using pallet technology, the vehicle will be lifted and parked at a vacant spot.

Named `South Square', the facility is expected to ease congestion on the roads and bylanes of the busy market.

The parking facility has been built on a public-private-partnership basis between the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and construction giant DLF at a cost of R80 crore.

Seven levels of the facility -from 2nd floor to 8th floor -have been dedicated for parking, while the ground and first floor will have commercial outlets such as shops and restaurants.

The retail space will also provide house kiosks that can be converted into seasonal market spaces or festive fairs.

Officials said the automated car park facility required less building volume and ground space, as compared to conventional parking lots.

South Square has a state-ofthe-art security system and car scanning technology, which will also ensure safety of the cars.

The facility was inaugurated by union urban development minister Kamal Nath and chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the presence of NDMC chairperson Archana Arora.

Dikshit expressed hope that with facilities similar to this one being constructed in the city parking woes in the Capital would end by 2012.