QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo inaugurated the first parking plaza of the provincial capital at the Circular Road on Tuesday.

A project of the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation, it has been completed in more than 12 years at a cost of Rs1.02 billion due to negligence of the authorities concerned and lack of funds.

The parking plaza has six floors which will accommodate more than 600 cars and 678 motorcycles. Its construction will reduce traffic jams in Quetta.

The commercial areas of the city have been facing traffic pressure since long with its population of 3.5 million.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the chief minister said the Quetta city had been facing traffic problems because there were no parking facilities. The population of Quetta had increased manifold but the roads and other civic facilities were not expanded accordingly, he added.

Mr Bizenjo said his government was trying to resolve the basic issues of the people and provide maximum facilities to them.

He said initially the parking plaza would allow people to park their vehicles for free. Later, the plaza would be given over to a contractor, he added.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2021