LUCKNOW, Dec. 21 -- Lucknow Municipal Corporation's (LMC) move to turn a designated parking stretch near Janeshwar Mishra Park here into a food street has sparked strong opposition from residents and social organisations, who claimed that the decision might worsen traffic congestion on the already busy VIP route. The issue revolves around the development of a "clean street food" project near the park's Gate No. 6 on the stretch towards the G20 Road. Areas earlier earmarked for two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking have given way to 20 permanent shops that will house several food kiosks. On Friday night, when a major event was held at the park, parking chaos led to long queues of vehicles on the approach road. Many drivers parked their cars and bikes on the carriageway after finding designated parking areas either full or partially blocked, resulting in a jam-like situation for hours. Despite the deployment of police personnel to regulate traffic, commuters faced delays and inconvenience. "We spent more time searching for parking than attending the event," said Akhil Mishra, who was visiting the event underway at the park. The street food project is funded by the central government under a clean food street initiative of the Union ministry of health, which is the nodal agency for the scheme. LMC executive engineer Atul Mishra said around Rs 1 crore was sanctioned for Lucknow and that the corporation built the 20 shops for an upcoming food street. A social organisation has questioned the planning behind choosing a high-traffic stretch for the project. Greater Lucknow Jankalyan Mahasamiti president Roop Kumar Sharma said the location was part of a VIP route on which traffic was likely to grow. He pointed out that the widening of the underpass near Pipra Ghat would funnel additional vehicles onto this stretch. "Parking space is being sacrificed when the city is talking about mobility planning," Sharma said. Sharma said he would submit a formal representation to the municipal commissioner and other senior officials, flagging concerns over parking, road safety and the importance of the route. Utkarsh Pandey, who lives in Gomti Nagar Extension, said the impact became most visible during programmes and weddings at Janeshwar Mishra Park. Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, however, maintained that the project has not reduced parking capacity. He told HT that ample parking facilities were available at the site and that the food street was developed within a designated zone. He also said that the shops were likely to be allotted to vendors who earlier operated makeshift shops in the same area....