Chandigarh: Firm to get only 25% of parking lots until smart features implemented

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, March 16

To ensure that smart parking features are implemented in the paid parking lots, the Municipal Corporation (MC) will be handing over only 25 per cent of the total 89 parking lots to the company under the first phase.

Under the new parking tender being prepared, until smart parking features, including entry into the lots through FASTag-enabled boom barriers, are implemented in 25 per cent lots, the MC will not hand over other spaces to the firm.

Other 25 per cent and subsequently remaining parking lots will be handed over to the company only after it implements smart features, as mandated in the tender. Till that time, the civic body will continue to run the lots.

The smart features also include mobile application for real-time tracking of space inside parking lots, and high-resolution CCTV cameras, which will be connected to the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).

To avoid recent instances where parking contractors defaulted on crores of licence fee, the collection from visitors will now be received by the civic body, which will further distribute the share to the contractor.

The MC will ensure that all digital payments through Paytm, Google Pay or cards also go to its bank account. On the basis of the parking slips issued for a day, all cash payment will be collected by its vehicles in the evening.

The civic body is currently running 89 parking lots in the city after the contract of two agencies managing them was not renewed.

A parking agency, Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt Ltd, did not pay about Rs 7 crore to the MC. When the MC made a claim to cash the bank guarantees for it, the bank claimed that no such guarantees had been issued by its branch.

Following this, the firm was booked for allegedly submitting fake bank guarantees of Rs 1.65 crore for running 57 paid parking lots in the city.

MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra had ordered blacklisting of the company, while company director Sanjay Sharma was arrested by the police. Earlier, Arya Toll Infra Pvt Ltd too had defaulted on licence fee.

Payment to be deposited with MC

• To avoid recent instances where parking contractors defaulted on crores of licence fee, the collection from visitors will now be received by the civic body, which will further distribute the share to the contractor
• The MC will ensure that all digital payments through Paytm, Google Pay or cards also go to its bank account. On the basis of the parking slips issued for a day, all cash payment will be collected by its vehicles in the evening