Parking staff say yes to job, no to tobacco

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 18

About 70 per cent of the city’s parking attendants are either alcoholics or underage. Then, there are those who consume tobacco. 

The company roped in by the Municipal Corporation to run 26 parking lots in the city found this during the selection process.

“Those working in the parking lots had come for the interview, but we could not hire them. Though we wanted an experienced hand, we found that about 70 per cent of them consumed liquor or tobacco. Many were underage too. We have hired 80 per cent of the freshers,” said Sandeep Gora, project coordinator, Arya Toll Infra Limited.

He said the company was hiring candidates who did not have a criminal background and were not alcoholics. “If anybody is found involved in smoking or eating gutkha at work, he will be shown the door,” he added.

The company has about 50 to 70 per cent women staff, a first in Chandigarh. To ensure security, the company has hired 30 persons for enforcement and 10 for maintaining law and order. It is also hiring former national women kabaddi players for guarding women employees. 

The firm has identified several weak spots where there is much scope for improvement. The parking lots dotted with waste or debris will be cleaned up. 

Though the women staff have already hit the ground, the working will be formally launched from June 19 when the attendants will start charging visitors the parking fee. The company has already taken over the multi-level parking at Sector 17 and deployed 32 women, but the remaining 25 parking areas will be made operational from Monday.

The Mumbai-based company had bagged the three-year contract for Rs 14.78 crore. For the first three-month period, the public will pay the existing rates — Rs 2 for two-wheelers and Rs 5 for four-wheelers. From October, the charges will be doubled.