Crores spent, but parking lots of JDA left unutilised

Jaipur: While traffic police are struggling with parking issues on city roads, two parking facilities—constructed by Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) at considerable expense—remain unutilised.
The parking facility inside Nehru Place complex on Tonk Road—established in 2015 as Jaipur's first hydraulic parking—stands deteriorated for years. The hydraulic technology installed in this parking lot has been non-functional for years. Currently, it serves as an improvised overnight storage space for street vendors' carts.
A senior JDA official said the civic body had spent approximately Rs 10 crore to construct this facility. However, after operating it for nearly 5 years, the parking lot became defunct during the Covid pandemic outbreak in April 2020. Since then, the parking lot remains abandoned with no significant initiative from the JDA to rehabilitate it.
"Actually, we are trying to engage an agency to lease the parking lot. We lack the expertise and workforce to operate a parking facility continuously," said a JDA official.
On Monday afternoon when TOI visited the adjacent roads, vehicles were abundantly parked on the road leading to the state police headquarters. Likewise, the road behind Nehru Place—housing the NABARD office—has cars parked on both sides, leaving minimal space for vehicular movement.
"At least twice monthly I visit the nationalised bank office behind Nehru Place. I must circle the entire vicinity searching for suitable parking. Post noon, finding space becomes virtually impossible. Ironically, a fully-equipped parking lot nearby remains non-operational," said Satish Yadav, a businessman.
The second unused facility is located off Ashok Marg in C-Scheme area. The Congress govt initiated its construction in 2011, completing it after returning to power in 2018. In 2020, it was inaugurated. At present, it has been leased to a self-drive car rental enterprise.
"The challenge was finding lessees to manage the parking lot. Hence, we opted to lease it to this company. At least, the govt gets some revenue," another JDA official said.