Facilities still not smart, fee hiked 20% at 32 Chandigarh parking lots

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Chandigarh, February 3

Even as the issue pertaining to the payment of licence fee remains unresolved between the Municipal Corporation and contractors, the annual 20 per cent increase in the parking fee has been implemented in 32 paid-parking lots in the city.

The Zone 1 parking contractor has 32 facilities where rates have been increased from Rs12 to Rs14 for four-wheelers and from Rs6 to Rs7 for two-wheelers. The Zone 2 parking contractor, who has 57 parking lots, is yet to increase the rates. The rates for parking lots outside malls in the city are different.

Parking lots at Sector 34, 26, 20, etc. come under Zone 1 while facilities at Sector 17, 22, 7, 8 and 9, Sukhna Lake, etc. fall in Zone 2.

Ram Kishan, contractor, Zone 1, said, “It is the 20 per cent annual increase as per the agreement. It has to happen.”

Vikas Pandey, contractor, Zone 2, said, “We are yet to increase the rates and we will do it within a month.”

The civic body had last year asked the two agencies to clear their licence fee dues to the tune of about Rs4.48 crore in a week or face termination of the contract of managing 89 paid-parking lots.

Following this, one of the agencies had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court while the other is in talks with the corporation. The MC had auctioned both zones for nearly Rs10 crore annually.

The corporation had last year also decided to defer the implementation of the hourly parking charges after an inspection of parking lots. During the inspection, it was found that both parking contractors were yet to implement smart parking features. The civic body had earlier directed the parking contractors to install all smart features.

Unfair in view of no addl facility: Cong

We have been saying even during the MC elections that the BJP will increase rates. When no additional facility has been provided at the parking lots, why have the rates been increased? — Subhash Chawla, city Cong president

Abolish paid-parking system in city: AAP

All lots should be given to market committees and paid parking system should be abolished. The MC should earn from advertisements. If we have our Mayor, we will make it happen once the present contract ends. — Prem Garg, president, city AAP

It’s nothing more than entry fee: FOSWAC

This is not parking lot fee, but entry fee. Where is smart parking? There are no attendants in parking lots and there is haphazard parking. The firm did not pay the licence fee dues to the MC. Why are they increasing rates then? — Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman, FOSWAC

Hike part of contract, says Mayor

It is one of the conditions in the present parking lot contract to have 20 per cent annual hike in the charges. Whenever this contract expires, we will provide relief to people in the terms of parking rates. — Sarabjit Kaur, Mayor