Parking: Chandigarh market associations show the way

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, September 22

On the one hand the city Municipal Corporation has failed to provide basic facilities at its paid parking lots, but on the other hand the Market Welfare Associations (MWAs) of Sector 22-D and 19-C & D continue to manage their parking spaces well without levying any fee on visitors.

Unlike the MC-run facilities, the parking lots managed by these MWAs always have attendants at the entry/exit points as well inside to guide visitors amid heavy rush of vehicles. These attendants are always in proper uniform.

MC lots a mess

• The civic body charges Rs 7 and Rs 14 for two and four-wheelers, respectively, per entry at its parking lots
• The charges are increased every year even as there is no one to guide visitors to vacant spaces inside
• Most of the MC parking lots witness chaotic scenes during heavy rush
• Haphazard parking in the absence of attendants gives visitors a tough time

Parking is totally free of cost at these markets, while the civic body charges Rs 7 and 14 for two and four-wheelers, respectively, per entry in its lots. The charges are increased every year even as there is no one to guide visitors to vacant spaces inside. Most of the MC parking lots witness chaotic scenes amid heavy rush.

Help at hand

We have been running this parking lot since 2000. Not only is parking for every vehicle ensured, the safety of customers and their belongings is also taken care of. If a customer carelessly drops his goods or he has a flat tyre, parking attendants help him out. — Arvind Jain, President, Sector 22-D MWA

President, Sector 22-D MWA, Arvind Jain said, “We have been running this parking lot since 2000. Not only parking for every vehicle is ensured, the safety of customers and their belongings is also taken care of. If a customer carelessly drops his goods or he has a flat tyre, parking attendants help him out.”

“We shopkeepers park our vehicles at the back of the market, so that customers have ample space in front of the shops. By giving visitors proper parking facilities, we want to make it a good shopping experience for them. We face a problem as visitors from the adjoining rehri market and those who have to leave for outstation in public or office transport park their vehicles here,” he shared.

The parking space opens at 9 am and closes at 10 pm when this market shuts. Such parking service has also been functional in the markets of Sector 19-C and D for the past many years despite a huge jump in the number of vehicles year after year.

Vinod Talwar, owner of Krishna Jewellers, Sector 19-C, said, “We have been running the Sector 19-C parking lot for about 25 years. We have marked spaces in the parking lot. Our aim is to provide a proper parking facility to customers. Most visitors do not get parking space even after paying fee in some parking lots. Our attendants keep moving inside to guide visitors.”

Parking attendants deputed at these parking lots said, “We try to adjust as many as vehicles possible. If the marked spaces are full, we get cars parked behind the vehicles while ensuring that the hand break is not on. When customers return after shopping, we push cars to clear space for other vehicles to move.”