GHMC revives Charminar parking project after years of delay

Hyderabad: As the construction of a multi-level parking (MLP) complex near KBR Park gets underway, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has now shifted its focus to the long standing parking issue in the vicinity of the iconic Charminar in the city.

In February, the GHMC officials visited the historic monument as part of the feasibility study directed by the chief minister Revanth Reddy to the principal secretary of Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) and the GHMC commissioner to assess the parking issues being faced by the commuters in the region.

After years of multiple delays in the construction of the proposed parking lot at the Old Charminar bus stand, the Corporation has asserted that it will soon release a notification inviting private organizations for the construction of the complex under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Seven years ago, the GHMC had proposed the construction of multi-level parking complexes at Charminar, the GHMC’s central office, KBR Park, Shilparamam in Madhapur, and Ameerpet. However, departmental hurdles put the construction in limbo.

The civic body has proposed to construct ten multi-level parking complexes across the city in a phased manner. The plan is to undertake constructions through the PPP model.

Charminar, which is a Centrally protected monument, received 12.90 lakh visitors in 2023-24. Visitors and locals in areas like Charminar, Chowmahalla Palace, and Mecca Masjid often struggle with parking due to the absence of designated facilities and end up parking their vehicles on the road.

In an effort to address the growing parking problem, the civic body is set to construct a parking complex on 4,000 square yards of vacant land at the Charminar bus stand.

Earlier, the AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had appealed to the Telangana government to speed up the construction of a parking lot near Charminar and a cable car to Golconda.