Pay double to park from today

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7

From tomorrow, you will have to pay double the charges at paid parking lots on an hourly basis in the city. From April 1, 2018, the rates will be further doubled.

With the local Municipal Corporation expressing satisfaction over the upgrade of the 25 lots to smart parking lots by the contractor, Arya Toll Infra Ltd, the rates have been revised from Rs 2 and Rs 5 to Rs 5 and Rs 10 for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, respectively, for the first four hours till March 31, 2018.

After four hours, the additional charges will be Rs 5 and Rs 10 for each subsequent two hours for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, respectively. The day pass for two-wheelers will be available for Rs 15 and for four-wheelers for Rs 25.

The parking fee at Fun Republic, Mani Majra, the Piccadilly multiplex, Sector 34  (I & II), and Elante Mall, Industrial Area, Phase I, has already been doubled and no monthly passes will be issued for these locations. However, these will not be charged on an hourly basis.

Multi-level parking cheapest now

The multi-level parking in Sector 17 will be the cheapest among all parking lots with charges of Rs 2 and Rs 5 for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, respectively, for the first four hours and the same additional charges after every two hours.  The rates have been kept low as there isn’t much footfall and the firm hopes this may increase the number of vehicles here.    

‘Shouldn’t be a burden on people’

“We are providing the city with smart parking. What we are charging is negligible as compared to Delhi. The mindset of the people has to change for the city to become smart. An amount of Rs 5 or Rs 10 should not be a burden on the people,” said Sandeep Bhora, project coordinator of the firm.     

On Wednesday, MC Commissioner Jitender Yadav, Additional Commissioner Anil Kumar Garg and Joint Commissioner Tejdeep Singh Saini had inspected the parking lots. On Thursday, it was decided to increase the charges.

At the last House meeting, councillors had resolved that the rates should be raised only after the firm completes the work pertaining to smart parking. Following this, the firm had launched its parking app, although it is bereft of the payment facility.

It has also set up a central surveillance system, which will keep an eye on parking spaces through CCTV cameras. 

The firm has already released a complaint and query number — 18001231819. At some lots, boom barriers have been set up, but most of these do not run automatically.

“The corporation has exempted us from smart parking in two lots in Sector 17 — near the CMC — and two in Sector 34 — near Jetking — on ‘visibility grounds’. In three lots, we have been asked to install digital screens. At one parking, thermoplastic cannot be laid due to the condition of the road. Improvement is required at three lots — DLF, Sector 8 and the Sector 17 state library,” Bhora said.

The company had bagged the parking contract under which it has to pay Rs 14.78 crore every year to the corporation. The reserve price for the parking contract was just Rs 4 crore.

Charges from April 1

The parking charges will be further doubled from April 1, 2018. For two-wheelers, Rs 10 will be charged for the first four hours and another Rs 10 after every two hours. For four-wheelers, Rs 20 will be charged for the first four hours and then Rs 20 after every two hours. The day pass charges will be Rs 25 and Rs 50 for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, respectively. 

Parking advisory for Military Lit Fest

Chandigarh: People visiting the Lake Club to witness various events being organised under the aegis of the Military Literature Festival-2017 on December 8 and 9 are advised to park their vehicles at the paid parking in front of Sukhna Lake, at the parking of the Sector 5 park, at the parking opposite Rock Garden and at the parking of Rock Garden. Wrongly parked vehicles will be towed away. TNS