Chandigarh civic body pushes for smart parking spaces
Sandeep Rana
Chandigarh, July 2
Nearly six months after it took possession of 89 parking lots from two agencies on the expiry of their three-year contracts, the local Municipal Corporation is finally going to start the process of handing over the lots to a company to introduce FASTag-enabled smart parking spaces.
The MC has decided to bring an agenda item to this effect at the House meeting this month. The agenda item could not be tabled in the House earlier because of the ongoing tussle over the proposed garbage processing plant at Dadu Majra. The House had deferred the agenda item.
Hi-tech features
- A smart system has been proposed in the new parking contract
- Boom barriers will open automatically at entrance
- At the time of exit, fee, based on parking duration, will be deducted through FASTag
- High-resolution CCTV cameras will scan the registration plates to keep a track of vehicles
- Camera feed will be connected to the Integrated Command and Control Centre, Sector 17.
“We cannot wait anymore. We have to get it approved. The agenda item will be tabled in this month’s House meeting, following which a tender will be floated and the work awarded,” confirmed an MC official.
The civic body has been facing loss of revenue on account of non-allotment of the parking lots for the past six months. There are no staff to manage parking lots, especially after the evening hours, due to a shortage of manpower with the civic body. Haphazard parking is a common sight in most of these lots.
‘Can’t wait any longer’
We cannot wait any more. We have to get it approved. The agenda item will be tabled in this month’s House meeting, following which a tender will be floated and work awarded. —An MC official
At many places, visitors get stuck in parking lots due to cars parked right behind their vehicles. They have to face a lot of inconvenience. Two-wheelers and cars parked in non-designated spaces also lead to chaotic scenes.
“The parking lots will be run in a systematic way. We will work on ensuring that there is no inconvenience to visitors,” said Mayor Anup Gupta. For the past few months, the corporation has been planning to introduce the FASTag-based system, besides a smart app, at all 89 facilities. The owners of vehicles without FASTag will also be able to pay using Paytm, Google Pay or other such modes of payment.
At present, attendants issue parking slips and collect payments manually at all parking lots. The smart system has been proposed in the new parking contract. Under the new system, boom barriers will open automatically when a vehicle approaches the entry point. At the time of exit, fee, based on parking duration, will be deducted through FASTag.
High-resolution CCTV cameras installed at the parking lots will scan the registration plates to keep a track of vehicles. The camera feed will be connected to the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Sector 17.
