Patna: The city’s multi-modal hub near GPO roundabout is set to move to a more organised parking system from October, with motorists required to pay for parking at the facility. Patna Smart City Limited (PSCL) has started the process of handing over the operation and maintenance of the hub and its 440-metre subway to a private agency.The parking charges have not yet been fixed. PSCL officials said rates at major parking facilities, including Patna Junction and Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport, along with other prominent locations in the city, are being examined before the tariff for the multi-modal hub is finalised.The facility will use an automated parking management system to reduce manual intervention. When a vehicle approaches the entry point, sensors near the boom barrier will detect it, while an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera will scan its registration number. A parking ticket will then be generated automatically and the barrier will open.For people who use the facility regularly, monthly parking passes will also be introduced. Officials said the system is aimed at making parking more convenient for daily commuters while bringing greater order to vehicle movement around the hub.The multi-level parking facility can accommodate up to 225 cars at a time. The ground floor has space for six cars and 32 buses, while the first floor can accommodate 67 cars. The second and third floors have capacity for 76 cars each.Two-wheelers will have a separate automated arrangement. A rotary technology-based parking facility planned within the hub complex will accommodate up to 96 motorcycles at a time. PSCL is also planning similar rotary parking facilities at three locations across the city.Meanwhile, the selection of the private operator has reached the next stage. Four agencies were found technically qualified at a tender committee meeting held on Sept 19. The agencies were invited to submit objections. The financial bids will be opened after the process is completed, following which the operator will be selected.The agency will be responsible not only for managing the parking facility but also for the overall operation and maintenance of the multi-modal hub and its 440-metre subway.The hub has also been planned as a commercial space, with a 4,763-square-foot restaurant, five shops inside the hub and six shops along the subway. Space for an ATM and electric vehicle charging facilities is also being developed.With the operator selection and parking tariff still to be finalised, PSCL is working towards putting the new parking system in place from October. The move is expected to bring vehicles off the roadside and help streamline parking and traffic movement around one of the city’s key transport hubs.
