MC rejects doubling parking fee

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 20

The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation on Tuesday decided not to double the parking fee from April 1 at 25 paid-parking lots in the city.

During a meeting, which was chaired by Mayor Davesh Moudgil, the panel asked the parking firm, Arya Toll Infra Ltd, to pay dues of over Rs 4.70 crore in 15 days to the MC. It also asked the company to fulfil the terms under the Smart parking system. 

“First of all, they should pay the amount due to the corporation. There are complaints of overcharging and misbehaviour by parking attendants. Besides, certain provisions under the Smart parking system have not been implemented yet. So, there is no logic behind increasing the rates,” Moudgil told Chandigarh Tribune.

The committee members also decided that an undertaking may be taken from the firm that its employees will not misbehave or overcharge in future. 

It was decided that a committee of officers, under the chairmanship of Joint Commissioner TS Saini, will inspect the parking sites and submit a report to the MC Commissioner. Following this, the agenda will be discussed during the General House meeting in April.

No cooperation from corporation: Firm

The firm managing parking lots in the city stated that they were not getting cooperation from the MC in implementing Smart parking system.

“There is no check on illegal parking, which is affecting the Smart parking system. In Sectors 17, 34, 8 and 9, a large number of vehicles are parked outside the lots. Likewise, in markets like Sector 22, vendors have encroached on parking area. Secondly, if the MC can spare previous contractors for holding back payments, why are we not being accommodated,” said Sandeep Bhora, coordinator of Arya Toll Infra Ltd.

The MC House had last year approved an increase in the parking charges from Rs 5 to Rs 10 and Rs 10 to Rs 20 for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, respectively, for the first four hours from April 1. The same amount was to be charged every two hours subsequently. It is the second double hike within a span of four months. The parking fee was doubled in December last. 

Facilities not enough

There are certain things that are yet to be implemented by the firm under the Smart parking system. While automatic boom barriers are yet to come up at the paid parking lots in the city, staff is not deployed every 50m. Smart parking app too has remained a non-starter. Vehicles are found parked haphazardly and not at the designated spaces.