MC U-turn on penalising parking firm

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 23

In a U-turn, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has proposed to waive the penalties imposed on Arya Toll Infra for overcharging and haphazard parking at various paid facilities in the city.

Sources said the MC was bringing the agenda for approval before its Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) during a meeting slated for June 26.

Notably, the committee had earlier decided to cancel the parking contract owing to violations of the terms and conditions of the pact and not turning the parking lots into smart facilities.

In the agenda, the MC also included the demand of the firm that overcharging may not be considered as a basis for cancellation of its licence.

Last year, Arya Toll Infra was allotted a Rs15-crore contract to run 25 paid-parking lots in the city. The MC later allowed the company to enhance the parking rates from April 1. But after a hue and cry was raised over the hike, the F&CC had decided to cancel the contract in a meeting held in the first week of May on the basis of the inspection reports of councillors who found many violations in the parking lots being managed by the firm.

The MC is yet to issue termination notice to the parking firm over non-implementation of smart parking directives. In the last House meeting, a decision on the issue was deferred after the MC Commissioner sought time to study the matter.

In the agenda being placed before the committee, the MC said Arya Toll Infra has requested to waive the penalties imposed on it for overcharging and the fine for haphazard parking which was yet to be calculated. The MC checking staff had mentioned haphazard parking at the paid facilities in their inspection reports.

Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition, said the agenda exposed the BJP-led MC which had been misleading people over the parking issue. Babla added that on the one hand, the Mayor and the local MP had announced to cancel the parking contract with the firm while on the other, the MC was proposing to waive the penalties. Babla said he would raise the issue in the next meeting of the House.