New multilevel car parking opens in Phuentsholing

A newly completed multilevel car parking is now operational from Thursday and is expected to decongest the already congested Phuentsholing town.

The parking will accommodate 202 light vehicles in three three-storied building and also has installed close circuit television and biometric entry gate for systematic functioning. The Phuentsholing Thromde will manage the parking for a year and later explore the opportunity of outsourcing it to private individuals.

Phuentsholing Thrompon Uttar Kumar Rai said the parking building would allow the Thromde to create more space for pedestrians as the narrow roads in the core town area have created congestion.

The Thromde will now remove parking spaces for vehicles around Zangdopelri, Dekiline and Bhutan Hotel as the road along these areas are not just narrow, but busy too.

Around 150 parking spaces inside the town will be removed now and turned into walkways for pedestrians.

“However, cars will be allowed for pick and drop services for a few minutes,” the Thrompon said.

 Meanwhile, the current parking spaces around Zangdopelri Lhakhang, Dekiline, and the lower markets, which are critically congested, will be now removed. There will be only a few designated parking spaces where cars can park for emergencies.

“There will be enough space for the people to walk unlike today,” the Thrompon said.

 The ground floor of the three-storied parking building will be used for local vehicles that need frequent parking inside the town, particularly taxis, and the first floor is designated for private vehicles, which can be parked for hours. There are about 150 spaces for heavy vehicles in Phuentsholing at the truck parking area. The parking, centrally located at the heart of the town, is expected to be convenient for the people to park and do their works in the town.   

Meanwhile, the Thromde will charge Nu 10 per hour for a single vehicle parking. The vehicle will not be charged for the first five minutes if there is no parking space.

“It is systematically constructed where the cars won’t be allowed to leave without paying the fees,” the Thrompon said, adding that an electric automatic gate placed at the exit point will allow only cars whose drivers have paid the fees.

Meanwhile, a taxi driver, Tshewang Tandin, is happy with the new parking.

He said taxi parking in the town has become congested and the new parking would help ease it. “Now we are comfortable with the new one,” he said.

The multilevel car parking is constructed at a cost of Nu 64mn – Government of India injecting about Nu 50mn under the Small Development Project and Phuentsholing Thrdome putting in about Nu 14mn. The project started in July 2016.

Krishna Ghalley from Thimphu