State Tourism Minister Sankar Ghosh laid the foundation stone for a new permanent parking lot at the Mela Ground near Kanchanjunga Stadium to solve Siliguri city traffic problems.
The project was officially started with the lighting of lamps and breaking of coconuts by the minister.
Siliguri Municipal Corporation Commissioner Beer Bikram Rai, DCP Traffic Kazi Shamsuddin Ahmed, ACP Traffic Subir Datta, and other administrative officers attended the event.
The modern parking lot will cost about Rs 1.65 crore to build.
The main goal is to solve long-standing traffic jams and parking problems in Bidhan Market and nearby areas.
The minister said that a large part of the parking system is targeted to open before Durga Puja.
The entire project is planned to be finished by October 15, after which the Mela Ground will mainly be used for parking.
The minister also hinted at fixing separate places for different fairs in the city and plans to use spaces with good parking instead of holding fairs in the middle of the city after the puja.
The Biswabangla Shilpi Haat may also be used for such events in the future.
