Parking fee to double only if firm fulfils MoU terms:MC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 8

Before implementing revised parking charges, the Municipal Corporation will go through the MoU signed with Arya Toll Infra Limited, the firm allotted the paid-parking lots in the city, to check whether the norms laid therein have been adhered to.

“The MC House has already approved doubling the parking charges from April 1. However, we will ensure the parking contractor meets the terms mentioned in the MoU. The hike will be brought into effect only after that,” Municipal Commissioner Jitender Yadav told Chandigarh Tribune.

He said there was a complaint of overcharging at the Sukhna Lake paid-parking lot. The company managing the 25 paid-parking lots in the city was asked to explain. However, the civic body has failed to take any strict action against the company.

Mayor Davesh Moudgil, however, said he had sought a report from additional commissioner Anil Kumar Garg in this regard. “He will submit his report tomorrow.”

The MC is scheduled to increase 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 will be added to the charges every two hours subsequently.

With employees of the firm found allegedly fleecing residents and the company failing to implement smart parking facilities, residents have opposed further doubling of the parking fee.

Parking lots no smart

• Automatic boom barriers are yet to come up at paid-parking lots in the city
• Staff is not deployed every 50m
• The smart parking app too has remained a non-starter
• Vehicles are found parked haphazardly and not at the designated spaces. Less staff available at the parking lots is to be blamed for this
• There are also complaints of overcharging