Nod to three parking lots in Kumbh run-up

NASHIK: The standing committee of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Thursday gave its approval to issuing work orders for the creation of three parking lots for next year's Kumbh mela.
Three large parking areas will be set up at Mhasrul, Peth Road and Adgaon for the vehicles coming from outside the city during the mega religious event. Traffic management will be a major challenge for the administration as around 75 lakh people are expected to visit the city during Kumbh mela, especially on auspicious days for the holy dip.
Standing committee chairman Rahul Dhikle said, "The work for creating parking areas at three locations in the city needs to be carried out at the earliest. Hence, we have given approval to the proposals of the civic administration for issuing work orders to the contractors concerned for the purpose. We will visit the proposed parking areas in the next few days."
The parking area at Mhasarul will come up on 24 hectares of land in survey nos. 34 and 35 having a capacity to park 10,000 vehicles at a time. The parking lot is to be developed by the Nashik-based private firm M/s Kranti Construction at a cost of Rs 3.98 crore.
Another large parking area will come up on 13 hectares along Peth Road in survey nos. 384, 385, 386, 387 and 390, and survey no. 391 in Makhmalabad Shivar. It will have a capacity to park 7,000 vehicles. The parking lot is to be developed by city-based private firm M/s Randhir U Jadhav at a cost of Rs 1.92 crore.
The third parking area will come up on 44 hectares of land at Adgaon with a capacity of 18,000 vehicles. The parking lot is to be developed by private firm M/s S A Savant Constructions Pvt Ltd. at a cost of Rs 6.91 crore.
'Remove unauthorised slums in Mhasarul'
Standing committee chairman Rahul Dhikle has directed the encroachment department to remove unauthorised slums in the Mhasarul area in ward no. 5. The directives came after BJP corporator Ranjana Bhanasi raised the issue during the meeting.
Kumbh schedule
* July 14, 2015: Hoisting of Simhastha flag
* Aug 29: First 'shahi snan' (royal bath)
* Sept 13: Second shahi snan
* Sept 18: Third shahi snan
* Aug 11, 2016: Lowering of the flag to mark end of the mela