Arunachal: Itanagar mayor halts Rs 28 crore smart city parking lot project over transparency concerns

Itanagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Tamme Phassang along with his team surveyed the Vendor market cum Multi-level parking and showed dissatisfaction with the Parking lot.

Further, the mayor also suspended the construction activities and asked for transparency regarding the project awarded to Korean company NIMS. 

After complaints received by the local citizens of Ward no.17 of Naharlagun the local corporator who himself is the Mayor of Itanagar Municipal Corporation took serious cognizance and personally visited the area and issued a stay on the construction activities.

Accordingly, the IMC has served a notice and asked to maintain the status quo till the executing agency cum contractor submits the report of the parameters of multi-level parking and its huge Rs 28 crores cost. 

It is to be mentioned here that this fully Automated AI-based Smart Parking System at TRIHMS Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Science at Naharlagun is under the Smart city mission on Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract mode with a cost of 27.49 crores & completion target of ten months (December 2023).

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Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ISCDCL) executed the tender process for this multi-level automated parking lot with a capacity of 72 cars at one time. Under the Smart City project, many such parking lots are under construction in the Itanagar capital region to create space for parking.

Mayor Tamme Phassang talking exclusively to India Today NE criticized the NIMS construction agency for this multi-level car parking at Naharlagun inside the TRIHMS hospital compound.

According to the Mayor this Korean company, Neuros Intelligent Management System (NIMS) has never constructed Elevators like this one rather it has taken a pattern by adding a Korean name and that’s a matter of joke with the people of Arunachal also they are playing with lives of the citizen. 

"NIMS is basically a company which makes compressor machines & now executing an elevator parking work in Naharlagun which is posing a serious threat to lives of people in future who will park their cars here," the mayor added.

“It's like an atom bomb being prepared instead of a multi-level parking executed by a Korean company which never had experience of such construction. I along with members of my ward surveyed this under-construction parking which is the uttermost necessity as traffic & parking is the main issue. It's almost a 30 crore smart city project which I never surveyed but after getting complaints by citizens of its execution my team visited and now I owe not to go for compromise for such a vital project for the welfare of the denizens of the twin capital. I am not against any development work but we want transparency whether it is for the hospital or for common citizens & also regarding its parameters of construction. After completion, it will be handed to us i.e. Municipal corporation but before that, we want quality work with transparency for public utility in future. Its length is a maximum of 30 to 40 metres with a breadth of 10 metres for which 30 crores is a huge amount spent from public funds. How the agency will show this expenditure for constructing this steel-based automated parking lacks transparency. 35-40 lakh will be the average cost of a vehicle parking system while our IMC made such same parking with 4-5 lakh per car IMC is going to halt this project till further notice as this parking will also break the ROW norms of 50 metres adjacent to the highway. Despite our halt orders if any construction work continues, the company will be solely responsible for any untoward incident. We are not against development work, but transparency should be there. After consoling with ward members, DC, IMC officials, and citizens of the ward and disseminating information about the detailed plan of the project the work can commence without delay” He added

Ashish Rajput the Site manager of the executing company NIMS talked to India Today NE and informed him about this automated parking. 

“This is under NIMS company a Korean one & our client is Itanagar Smart City which is making this automated multi-level car parking. There is a 10-month completion time which is in December 2023. This is being made under a 200 square metre area with an estimated cost of 28 crores. There will be parking of 72 cars at one time with an automated elevator, if necessary we will dismantle the boundary walls adjacent to the highway. There will be no compromise in the quality & all work will be done as per the norms," added.