Chandigarh: Soon, shell out Rs 5 more for paying parking fee in cash

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 31
Soon, you will have to pay Rs 5 extra in case of cash payment at 89 paid parking lots in the city. The Municipal Corporation (MC) today floated a tender for the new ‘smart parking’ system.
The MC has invited online bids through e-tendering process for design, development, operation and maintenance of the parking lots. The prospective bidders have been asked to submit their entries from August 2 to 23. The lowest bidding eligible agency will be finalised following technical and financial evaluation.
According to the plan, the first 20 minutes will be free for pick and drop at the 84 parking lots (excluding facilities outside malls) in the city. No increase has been made in the existing parking charges for vehicles.
For the first slab of four hours, Rs 7 and Rs 14 will be charged for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, respectively. “Slab rates have been introduced to facilitate circulation of vehicles and optimum utilisation of parking space,” said an MC official.

To encourage the use of digital payment and discourage cash payment, the latter have been de-incentivised at Rs 5 for all categories of vehicles in all slabs. Payment can be made through QR code scanner or debit/credit card. Some of the parking lots will be available only to vehicles having FASTag. This, the MC feels, will go a long way in bringing transparency and preventing corrupt practices by vendors and the parking staff.
Due to acute shortage of parking space and its optimal utilisation, parking in underground facilities, wherever available, has been fixed at lowest of all i.e. Rs 5.
Monthly passes have also been introduced at Rs 300 for underground parking and Rs 400 for surface parking.
The slab rates and other components will be applicable only after implementation of ‘smart parking’ in the city. Till then, the present rates would continue.
Earlier, the BJP-ruled MC House had even approved to levy double rates on vehicles registered outside the tricity area and make parking free for two-wheelers. Later, the AAP-ruled MC House had approved free parking for all categories in all parking lots.
However, the then Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit approved that there would be no free parking and no outstation vehicles would be charged double while okaying the smart parking system.