The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has identified 17 plots near 14 metro stations across the city to develop free parking facilities for commuters in an effort to encourage greater use of metro services.
The civic body plans to provide organised parking spaces equipped with CCTV surveillance near metro stations to improve convenience for passengers.
The move comes as metro ridership in Ahmedabad has steadily increased over the past seven years. Despite the expansion of metro services, many commuters have been facing difficulties due to limited parking availability near stations.
To solve the issue, AMC’s Estate Department carried out a survey in both eastern and western parts of the city and identified 17 reserved plots located within 100 to 500 metres of metro stations.
According to Estate Department official Hitendra Makwana, the selected plots will be properly developed into structured parking areas instead of remaining vacant spaces.
Facilities such as paver blocks, directional signboards and CCTV cameras will be installed at all parking sites.
Officials said some of these plots are already being used informally by commuters for parking vehicles. Under the AMC plan, all parking facilities will be available free of cost.
Paver blocks will help prevent vehicles from getting stuck in mud or dust during bad weather, while CCTV surveillance will improve safety and security.
AMC officials believe the initiative will encourage more people to use the metro, helping reduce traffic congestion on city roads and lowering fuel consumption.
The parking facilities are planned near metro stations at Vastral Village, Nirant Cross Road, Apparel Park, Thaltej, Thaltej Village, APMC Market (Vasna), SP Stadium, Paldi, Gandhigram, Vijaynagar, Vadaj, Ranip, Sabarmati and Motera Stadium.
Some parking sites are located very close to metro stations, including Apparel Park and Paldi at around 100 metres away, and Sabarmati station at around 120 metres.