At launch of automated tower car parking facility, Puri takes veiled dig at AAP

Union minster Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday took a veiled dig at the AAP during the inauguration of an automated tower car parking here, saying the facility was opened, "without releasing a full-page advertisement".

The Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs took the swipe at the Arvind Kejriwal-led party on Twitter, and shared pictures of the new parking infrastructure commissioned by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation in Green Park area.

"This ultra modern Automated Tower Car Parking facility was inaugurated in Delhi's Green Park area without releasing a Full Page Advertisement! Saaf Niyat Sahi Vikas. @BJP4Delhi," Puri tweeted.

The first such parking facility in Delhi, where elections are due before March, was inaugurated in the presence of Lt Governor Ani Baijal, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Lekhi, among others.

In another tweet, in Hindi, without naming the AAP, the Union minister, said, "'Aap ka kaam hai rozana nai bahane banana, hamara kaam hai Delhiwasiyon ki suvidha ke liye nai suvidhaiyen banana' (Your job is to make excuses daily, our job is to provide new facilities to Delhiites)".

Puri also expressed hope that the parking facility will help contain pollution in the area.

Baijal said this sort of vertical parking is most appropriate in congested markets and populated colonies as it requires much lesser space for parking.

He also said that the SDMC should come up with effective parking area management to deal with parking problems in areas under its jurisdiction.

SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti spoke about the achievements and ongoing major projects the corporation has taken to increase the number of parking sites.

He said this new parking facility was completed in record time of 10 months, and is spread over an area of 217 sqm.

The four towers will be provided with 17 levels each to accommodate 102 cars, he said.

The retrieval time of the vehicle in the tower parking will be just three minutes in comparison to 15 minutes in the conventional parking. There is going to be no pollution and no fuel consumption in the automated tower parking whereas pollution happens in conventional parking, he added.