MC cancels contract of eight parking lots

Bathinda, April 22

The Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) has cancelled the contract of eight parking lots in the city owing to alleged over-charging by the contractors.

The step has been initiated following the issue raised by councillors in the general house meeting held on April 20. The MCB has also blacklisted the contractors.

In the meeting, councillors alleged that parking contractors were fleecing commuters in the city, whereas the MCB is not taking any action against them.

Thereafter, the subcommittee constituted on the parking issue claimed that the members had already recommended action against the contractors as they were overcharging residents.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “The contract of parking lots in the city has been cancelled as it was found that these contractors are overcharging from residents. All councillors raised the issue in the general house and also passed a resolution regarding this.”

He said the process to give the work to a new contractor would be initiated soon in the coming days.

The parking contractors have removed the boards containing the price list installed by the MCB. Even the receipt that they gave to commuters didn’t carry any rate over it.

The contractor was charging Rs 10 for motorcycles and Rs 20 for cars, whereas the price fixed by the MCB is Rs 5 for two-wheelers and Rs 10 for four-wheelers.

Bathinda Tribune, in these columns, highlighted the issue recently regarding how these contractors were fleecing residents. The issue snowballed last month when parking employees overcharged from senior SAD councillor Nirmal Singh Sandhu, who is also the F&CC member.

The SAD leader then called up MCB officials and the police on the spot.

Since then, he has been raising the issue along with councillors for taking action and blacklisting parking contractors in the past three general house meetings. — TNS