Police Department asks civic body to begin charging for roadside parking

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 20

Grappling with the problem of idle parking causing traffic snarls, the police have now suggested the Shimla Municipal Corporation to levy charges on vehicles parked on the roadside.

The Police Department has shot a letter to the MC, drawing its attention to the May 22, 2015, order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which says: “No free parking shall be permitted on the main road and it is only after proper identification of places that parking would be permitted, that too on payment.”

The letter further says: “Due to increasing vehicular density on narrow roads of Shimla, some people use the public space for selfish personal use, while many car owners leave their cars on the roads, causing traffic inconvenience.” The police have suggested that suitable places be identified for parking vehicles, where the “yellow line” has not been drawn.

Allowing parking on payment at identified places would not only supplement the income of the MC, but also prove disincentive for those indulging in idle parking. The collection of fee would also help in proper security of vehicles. The money collected can also be used for deploying watchmen for day and night surveillance and the vehicle owners would not have to worry about the safety of their vehicles parked on the roadside.

The MC has already levied parking charges for parking vehicles on restricted roads and marked a “yellow line” for parking, but in view of protest from the public, the decision to levy parking fee could not be implemented.

“The parking charges are not reasonable and range between Rs30 to Rs50, which is not affordable for a common citizen,” OP Sood, a senior citizen said.

Shimla MC Commissioner Rohit Jamwal said vehicles parked on roadsides were being charged at a number of places and the possibility of other areas, where there is feasibility of parking vehicles, were being identified.