Saiful Islam Sumon, Comilla: A growing number of multi-storey commercial buildings in Comilla city are being developed without sufficient parking facilities, worsening traffic congestion in the city`s busiest commercial areas, particularly around Kandirpar and its adjoining roads.

Urban planners and residents say that adequate parking is a fundamental requirement for a planned city. However, many commercial high-rises housing shopping malls, offices, hotels and business establishments in Comilla have either inadequate parking space or none at all. As a result, visitors, shoppers, office-goers and patients are often compelled to park their vehicles on roadsides, significantly disrupting traffic flow.

While most residential buildings provide some parking facilities, commercial buildings lag far behind. Consequently, major roads frequently turn into makeshift parking zones during peak business hours, creating severe traffic bottlenecks.

A recent field survey revealed that the Kandirpar commercial zone currently has 20 multi-storey buildings, including five under construction. Among the existing structures, only 10 have designated parking facilities, leaving nearly half without any parking arrangements.

The situation is even more alarming along the Kandirpar–Tomchom Bridge Road, where 31 high-rise buildings stand on both sides of the road, including three under construction. Yet only three buildings provide parking facilities. As a result, numerous private cars, microbuses and motorcycles can be seen parked along the roadside every day.

A similar scenario exists on the Kandirpar–Rajganj Road. Of the 14 multi-storey buildings located there, one is under construction, while only five have parking provisions. Increasing business activities and customer traffic have further intensified congestion in the area.

On the Kandirpar–Police Lines Road, there are 21 multi-storey buildings, including one under construction. Although 11 buildings have parking facilities—more than in other nearby areas—residents say the available spaces are still inadequate to meet growing demand.

Investigations have also found that many buildings with underground floors are not utilizing the entire space for parking. In several cases, portions of the underground area have been converted into jewellery shops, fresh markets and commercial showrooms, reducing the capacity originally intended for vehicle parking.

Business owners report that indiscriminate roadside parking narrows the effective width of roads, making traffic congestion inevitable even during moderate vehicle flow. The situation becomes particularly severe during holidays, festive seasons and evening hours when commercial activity reaches its peak.

Residents have urged authorities to strictly enforce mandatory parking requirements before approving new building plans. They also called for stronger monitoring to prevent building owners from using designated parking spaces for commercial purposes.

Urban planning experts warn that sustainable transportation systems cannot be achieved without effective parking management. They stress the need for constructing multi-level parking facilities in Comilla’s central business districts and ensuring strict implementation of existing parking regulations in commercial buildings.

“If the current trend continues, the parking shortage and traffic congestion will become much more severe as the number of vehicles continues to rise,” said urban planning observers.

Social activist Ali Akbar Masum blamed weak compliance with building regulations for the growing problem. He said many building owners failed to follow the conditions imposed by the city authorities when obtaining construction approval, resulting in numerous multi-storey buildings being built without proper garages.

“To restore urban discipline and reduce traffic congestion, the City Corporation, district administration and traffic police must take coordinated action to ensure parking facilities in buildings that currently lack them,” he said.

Comilla City Corporation Executive Engineer Md Abu Sayeem Bhuiyan acknowledged the issue, saying that many building owners do not follow the approved building designs after obtaining permission.

“In both residential and commercial buildings, spaces designated as garages are often rented out for shops or other commercial purposes,” he said.

According to him, the City Corporation has already issued official notices to building owners, directing them to keep garage spaces open for vehicle parking. Authorities are also conducting drives and taking action based on complaints.

“However, the awareness and cooperation of building owners are equally important to solve the problem,” he added.