Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today inaugurated the first phase of a multi-storeyed parking with capacity for 700 cars here.
"The Rs 60 crore project being implemented on Public-Private-Patnership mode will help solving parking problems to some extent. After completion of two more phases the capacity would increase to 1700 cars," Managing Director Shimla Tolls and Projects Private Limited P K Sood said.
The parking has been leased to Shimla Tolls and Projects Private Limited on concession period of 30 years, he said, adding concession fee of Rs 1 crore per annum, with an increase of 10 per cent every two years, will be paid to Municipal Corporation of Shimla.
Residents of Sanjauli Cemetery, stopping Singh's cavalcade near the Dhalli tunnel,urged him for a parking near the tunnel.
Supporting their demand, Congress Kusumpti MLA Anirudh Singh, said if a parking is constructed by dismantling the old PWD building it would house more than 700 vehicles.
The old PWD building is hindrance to smooth transportation, and neither pick-ups nor ambulance can enter the area, residents said.
Singh directed PWD to prepare an estimate for the parking and rehabilitate few families staying at PWD quarters.
He laidthe foundation stone for an additional building of Bal Ashram at Dhalli and directed work should be completed by June 1.
The condition of the road connecting from NH to the orphanage should be improved and widened at the earliest, he said.
Singh paid a surprise visit to the Balika Ashram at Mashobra and was displeased to see that construction work of an additional building had not been started despiteits foundationstone being laid six months ago.
Addressing children at the Bal Ashram, he said the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) had provided Rs 8 crore for constructing the Ashram's new building.
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