Saragarhi multi-storeyed car parking a picture of neglect, commuters suffer

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 9

Raised with a heavy investment to sort out parking trouble, the Saragarhi multi-storeyed car parking in the vicinity of the Golden Temple is a picture of neglect.

The parking, with a capacity of 800 vehicles, was meant to provide hassle-free parking to the devotees arriving in four-wheelers who have to undergo multiple difficulties.

A vigilant citizen, Kamal Dalmia, in a communication to Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sonali Giri, mentioned various problems being faced by the devotees.

He said thousands of pilgrims visited the Golden Temple daily. The Saragarhi car parking was very helpful for tourists in parking their vehicles. However, he rued that least care was being taken of the multi-layer parking lot.

First, there seems to be no arrangement to clean the parking area as garbage is strewn all over the place.

A sufficient number of staff members were unavailable to guide the visitors in the parking lot. It all depends on the good sense of drivers, coming from different parts of the country, to find a place for parking.

Besides, vital security arrangements are also not available. Visitors demand that policemen must be stationed in the parking lot.

Surinder Singh, a tourist from Delhi, said more lights needed to be installed in the parking lot. Insufficient lighting kept a large portion of the area under darkness. He said there was need to instal water coolers to provide cold water.

In addition, toilets and main entrances of the parking lot needed a facelift.