PUNE: The work of the multi-level car parking at Pune Airport has hit a road block as construction is taking place on only half the allocated space. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has started constructing a multi-level car parking at Pune airport.
However, due to the unavailability of extra land, the construction can be carried out in only half the allocated space. The rest is still being used for vehicle parking. Construction cannot begin until the current parking is shifted to some other place.
On January 2, MP Girish Bapat performed bhoomi poojan of multi-level car parking, which would be connected with a skywalk to the airport’s terminal building. Authorities expect it to be ready in two years.
The work has begun, but only on half the land allocated. As there is only one space for two-wheelers at parking 1, parking 2 is dedicated to cabs and autorickshaws. The AAI staff, airlines, CISF and other contractual workers park their vehicles at parking 1.
At one time hundreds of two-wheelers and more than 20 four-wheelers are parked at parking 1. “The work has begun, but the issue is that the company needs entire space and thus the vehicles can no longer be parked here. There is a land requirement for parking,” said an officer from AAI, New Delhi.
AAI had given tender to the company almost a year ago. The work was delayed due to unavailability of space. The authority was waiting for land from Pune Municipal Corporation, but the AAI did not get the land. After a month of construction work, AAI is still waiting for land.
The parking contract was awarded to city-based Pebble Infra-Tech Private Ltd. The company will develop multi-level car parking with integrated commercial facilities on a DBOM basis (construction-cum-licence to operate and maintain). The facility will be of international standards and cover an area 2.5 acres and provide parking facilities for 1,000 vehicles in line with the proposed expansion of terminal building.
