Chandigarh MC yet to decide on terminating contract of parking firm

Tribune news service 

Chandigarh, June 21 

The MC has failed to take any decision on cancelling the parking contract of Arya Toll Infra. At the last meeting of the House, the civic body deferred the decision after the MC Commissioner sought some time to study the matter.

Sources said while the next House meeting was scheduled to be held in the last week of this month, the MC has not prepared any agenda on the issue. 

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Administration has already asked the civic body to take a decision on the cancellation of the parking contract of Arya Toll Infra on its own.

The sources added that without issuing any direction to reduce the rate, the Administration has told the civic body that the issue is not in its domain and the MC can take the decision keeping in mind legal and the financial aspects. 

On April 17, the MC decided to write to the Secretary, Local Bodies Department, UT Administration, to roll back the rates, which were doubled on April 1, and cancellation of the contract. The company had got the contract last year for Rs 15 crore to manage 25 parking lots in the city.

The Finance and Contract Committee had already decided to cancel the contract at the meeting held in the first week of May, but the civic body is yet to issue the termination notice to the parking firm over the non-implementation of smart parking directives. 

Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition in the House, said the MC did not want to cancel the contract. “I will raise the issue in the next meeting,” he added.