MC approaches NHAI for managing parking lots in Chandigarh

After remaining indecisive for months on the proposed AI-based smart parking, the Municipal Corporation is now considering to hand over the parking lots in the city to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

Sources said the MC had sent a proposal to the NHAI for the management of parking facilities. If the proposal is accepted, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the NHAI and the civic body soon. The authority will run the parking under the design, build and operate model. It will issue parking passes too.

In May this year, the MC had decided to introduce an AI-based parking system. The civic body had failed to finalise a new firm ever since the previous parking contractor left a year ago.

In May, the MC had formed Smart Parking RFP Committee headed by councillor Saurabh Joshi to finalise the request for proposal (RFP) for the AI-based smart parking. The committee held meetings with the representatives of companies. The committee submitted the draft report, but the RFP has not been finalised yet. It proposed the implementation of an AI-based smart parking project across 89 key locations in Chandigarh. However, the MC failed to finalise the terms and conditions of the RFP to be floated for a smart AI-based parking system.

Recently, the civic body had proposed to introduce single passes of Rs 500 and Rs 250 for four-wheelers and two-wheelers, respectively. It was proposed that these passes will be valid across all 89 paid parking lots in the city for unlimited entry-exits.

Sources said the MC in the proposal sent to the NHAI also requested to run the parking pass system. They said the MC approached the NHAI considering its huge experience and infrastructure.