MUCH SOUGHT AFTER DECISION by
The government in J&K is leaving no stone unturned in satiating the aspirations of the people as public welfare initiatives are being taken on a regular basis with a pipeline of moves waiting to provide a sigh of relief to one and all in the UT. In this context, another decision has been taken by the government to provide succor to the people in Jammu as the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department has approved the construction of the Multi-Level Parking in the Super Specialty Block of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu at the estimated cost of over Rs 18 crore. Parking is a big problem in urban hamlets and when the place is healthcare facility, its utility increases manifold times and the same holds true for the aforesaid parking because today getting a place for parking a vehicle in or near the GMC’s aforementioned block is a matter of chance or luck because space for parking is a big constraint. Having ample parking slots in institutions and offices, and near market places is the need of the time and the government should mull over the issue and go for moves akin to this one to make the Jammu City hassle-free for the commuters using private vehicles. The growing number of cars and other vehicles, and finding a place to park them was one of Jammu’s biggest nightmares a few years back. Those who had faced this must also have experienced that towing away the wrongly parked vehicles in the city of temples was used to be the common sight during those days as Traffic Police’s mini-cranes used to act like busy bees clearing the roads of the vehicles which were parked on road sides and in busy markets as there were no slots provided by the government for parking the vehicles. It used to be quite painful for the citizens of Jammu as they had to spend hefty amounts for releasing their cars towed away by the aforesaid cranes because wrong parking was, is and will remain a culpable offence till eternity. With Government creating parking spaces in the city under Smart City project and the multi-level parking bays have now resolved the issue to a large extent but still there is a long way to go and for this the government should gird up the loins and act with the pace comparable to the increase of vehicles in the city.