Parking loot right under nose of administration

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 7

Visitors to the administrative complex here are a harassed lot these days. The new contractor of the parking lot has increased the charges for car parking from Rs 20 to Rs 40 on his own just a few days since he started operating in the complex for the new financial year.

Even though the charges fixed by the administration for car parking are Rs 20 and these were clearly listed out during the auction held last month, the contractor has started fleecing the visitors by levying Rs 40 and is even issuing printed receipts indicating this amount.

The reason for the same is that there was a stiff competition during the bidding of parking this year. During the auction held on March 4, the contract for the parking lot went for Rs 60.01 lakh, up by Rs 19.01 lakh over the last year’s bid amount of Rs 41 lakh. However, the highest bidder chose to default the amount and got his Rs 1 lakh participation fee forfeited.

The re-auction was called by the administration after which the contract went again for a high amount of Rs 52.01 lakh. The last time contractor Shehnaz Ahmed did not even participate in the auction. This time, he had claimed that he incurred huge losses from the contract and could not even recover Rs 41 lakh over the year.

Even the staff of the new contractor rued, “There is not much parking space available in the complex. The government employees are not paying up the charges, while they are consuming a lot of space.”

But the visitors claim that this is no excuse for overcharging. AAP leader Atam Parkash Singh Bablu said, “People come to the DC office for getting their works done. The work does not get over in one round. They have to come here many times as sometimes the staff is not available or the work is incomplete. Any ordinary applicant at Suwidha Centre has to come here at least twice to get his work done and he has to pay an additional Rs 80, which is completely unjustified.”

Sanjay Sehgal, Congress activist, too claimed, “People come here to get their work done and not have fun with families as in multiplexes or shopping malls. Charging Rs 40 for car parking is sheer fleecing right under the nose of the administration, which has not even put up a signage regarding the same.”

DC Kamal Kishor Yadav said he had no information regarding any overcharging being done here. “I will get it checked tomorrow morning,” he said.