Tenders being floated to create more parking space
DHARAMSHALA: The sleepy hill town, especially McLeodganj close by, home to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, is also facing a severe parking shortage even as the administration claims it’s better prepared to manage water supplies this summer.
Admitting to the parking crisis, Dharamshala’s deputy mayor Devinder Jaggi says “Yes, parking is the biggest problem here. Most of the tourists head to McLeod Ganj where a majority of hotels don’t have space for vehicles.” To accommodate incoming vehicles over the next few weeks, Jaggi says the Dharamshala municipal corporation has floated small tenders for parking space. Individuals owning open space can bid for and get the contract for this season. They can charge the fee fixed by the civic body, he adds.
“This will help us take care of the parking problem,” he says, adding that the public parking at Bhagsunag with its famous Shiva temple close by is being expanded while a bigger parking is already open near the Dalai Lama temple.
For traffic decongestion, the Kangra superintendent of police Santosh Patial says a special
plan has been made for McLeodganj.“Dharamshala does not have much of a traffic problem. For McLeodganj, where needed, one-way traffic will apply,” he adds. Police presence in the hill town has also been increased, he adds. To stop overcharging by restaurants and taxis, deputy commissioner Sandeep Kumar says that the district administration has fixed the diet rate and taxi fares. “Those found fleecing the visitors will be dealt with strictly,” he warns.