Open House: What should be done to expedite smart paid parking & make it a reality in Chandigarh?
Though smart paid parking is a costly affair, it has many advantages like foolproof collection of fee and owners can park their vehicles with much ease. Besides, an owner knows vacant spaces in a parking lot where he/she can park his/her vehicle. The UT Administration and the municipal corporation should knock at the doors of the Centre for allocation of funds for the smart paid parking project. Smart paid parking can also be introduced in phases.
NPS Sohal, Chandigarh
Onus lies on higher officials, councillors
Higher officials and elected councillors of the civic body should be held accountable for the delay in the implementation of the smart paid parking in the city. A higher court may take suo moto notice of this delay and instruct the authorities concerned to implement the project immediately. Owners of commercial properties can file a civil suit against the municipal corporation (MC) for delaying the smart paid parking project.
Kirpal Singh, Chandigarh
Reduce parking fee for vehicles
Residents are already burdened with the hike in water and electricity charges. Besides they also have to pay property tax and registration fee and road tax for their vehicles. If residents pay all such taxes, they also deserve free and ample parking spaces in the city. The UT Administration should allow the municipal corporation to implement its promise of providing free parking of vehicles for residents. Alternatively, parking fee can be reduced substantially.
Col PS GILL (retd)
Issue continues to linger on
The issue of parking of vehicles has been lingering on the past many year in Chandigarh. Contractors have never followed instructions of the municipal corporation to run parking lots. The civic body can penalise contractors for their failure to maintain parking lots as per the guidelines. Officials responsible for the implementation of smart paid parking must be held accountable for delaying the project.
Wg Cd JS Minhas (retd), Mohali
Lackadaisical approach delayed smart parking
The lackadaisical approach of the municipal corporation (MC) has delayed the implementation of the smart paid parking project in the City Beautiful. A smart parking project that has cashless payment options is essential for a city like Chandigarh. Despite availability of advanced centralised smart parking technology, the project implementation has been delayed. To ensure that Chandigarh truly progresses as a smart city, officials concerned have to take decisive action in this connection.
Vijay Katyal, Panchkula
Involve private players in project
To expedite smart paid parking in Chandigarh, the municipal corporation should come up with strict deadlines and hold officials concerned accountable for the implementation of the project. Regular review of the progress of work, transparency in the allocation of funds and involving private players through public-private partnership can ensure timely completion of the smart paid parking project in the city.
Rhythm Juneja, Chandigarh
Act against erring contractors
The smart paid parking project has been hanging fire since the past eight years (2016) when it was proposed for Chandigarh. The city’s population is growing and so is the number of vehicles with each year. Present parking lots are woefully inadequate to accommodate vehicles in the city. The problem gets compounded due to poor management of parking spaces by contractors who are only concerned about charging parking fee. The MC should take steps to implement the smart parking project and act against contractors who fail to maintain parking lots.
Dr Dinesh Verma, Panchkula
Bureaucratic hurdles stalling smart project
Immediate execution of smart paid parking requires removal of all bureaucratic hurdles with a comprehensive policy on public private partnership (PPP) to share the costs, risks and benefits of the project. IT-based sensors, cameras and other technologies can be used to monitor real time parking availability with unified an app through which users can reserve spaces for their vehicles in parking lots. If implementation of the whole project appears cumbersome, pilot projects may be started to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of smart paid parking project.
Harinder Singh Bhalla, Chandigarh
Form dedicated task force for project
To expedite Chandigarh’s smart paid parking project, the municipal corporation should form a dedicated task force with a clear timeline, leveraging public-private partnership to ensure funding and expertise. Implement real-time monitoring to track progress and hold officials’ concerned dealing with the project accountable. Additionally, involve residents in the process through regular updates and feedbacks, ensuring transparency and building public trust for the completion of the project.
Gaganpreet Singh, Mohali
Outsource project to private operator
To expedite the smart paid parking, the municipal corporation (MC) can consider outsourcing the project to a private operator with expertise in the IT field. The MC should start a mobile app for cashless payments of fee and booking of slots for the parking of vehicles. Installing sensors for real-time occupancy tracking, introducing variable pricing based on demand, setting a deadline for completion of the project and holding officials accountable would help in early implementation of the smart paid parking in the City Beautiful.
Gurdev Singh, Mohali
Extend FASTag to 89 parking lots
To expedite the smart paid parking project in Chandigarh, consider extending the FASTag system to all 89 parking lots. This would streamline entry and exit and make fee payments seamless for drivers of vehicles. Another way to streamline smart paid parking is to implement QR code-based payments in lots along with issue of slips to vehicle owners for the latter’s record.
Gurpreet Kaur, Mohali
Pilot projects can showcase success
To accelerate smart paid parking in Chandigarh, the municipal corporation should adopt a public-private partnership (PPP) model with tech expertise for swift implementation of the project. Introducing performance-based incentives for contractors, along with transparency in fund allocation, can expedite the project. Lastly, pilot parking projects in key areas can showcase success and build momentum for its city-wide adoption.
Sahibpreet Singh, Mohali
Ensure real-time tracking of traffic
Having extended the date for filing bids for the smart paid parking project to September 23, the need of the hour now, is for the municipal corporation to keep its financial and technical evaluation teams ready. The intervening period can best be used to take stock of the survey report of the city’s parking system by RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service). Simultaneously, the study needs to be ordered to ensure optimal utilisation of space in all the parking lots. A system should be designed for real-time tracking of the traffic of all the 89 parking lots in the city.
Brig Advitya Madan (retd), Chandigarh
Give priority to project planning
To expedite the implementation of the smart paid parking project in Chandigarh, the municipal corporation (MC) should prioritise transparent planning, set clear milestones and collaborate with technology providers. Regular progress updates and stakeholder engagement would ensure timely implementation of the project and address residents’ concerns effectively.
Prithvee Yakhmi, Chandigarh
Admn dithering on parking policy
It’s quite evident that the administration is dithering from streamlining a policy on parking of vehicles which is a major challenge in the city. The high per capita car ratio is posing all sorts of challenges to policy makers. Contractors of the parking lots are far from friendly. Most of their staff are not in uniform. They seldom help a car driver enter/exit with his/her vehicle from a crowded a parking lot. The city needs an immediate solution to parking woes. The administration should construct basement parking under public parks.
Yash Khertarpal, Panchkula
Dissolve municipal corporation House
Due to laxity on part of the municipal corporation (MC) and bureaucrats, smart paid parking still remains a distant dream for the City Beautiful. The MC is giving no results when it comes to solving civic issues in the city. Every year a new Mayor is selected and plans are made which go down the drain leaving residents in limbo. Now, it’s time to dissolve the MC House and let the Chandigarh Administration take charge of the City Beautiful affairs.
Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali
Focus on optimising existing resources
Smart paid parking has repeatedly failed on the ground due to professional slackness of the municipal corporation (MC) and more importantly to actually not working on its basic study, planning and relevant aspects of its implementation. To implement smart paid parking at designated spaces in the city, the MC should opt public, private partnership model. The MC should also focus on optimising existing resources, such as repurposing underused public areas for parking spaces. Developing a phased rollout plan can help manage limited funds effectively and adjust to changing political circumstances.
NK Guglani, Chandigarh
Parking attendants not accountable
One has to make frequent rounds of a parking lot in Chandigarh to find a space for parking. You enter a parking lot only to pay, but do not find any parking space. Only an e-ticketing machine that gives a parking slip electronically does not make the parking smart. No one comes to help a driver despite the fact that a parking attendant has to be there at every 50 metres in a parking to guide him/her park vehicle. The situation is the worst at parking lots of Sectors 17and 22. And yes, for parking attendants, there is no accountability.
Sanjay Chopra, Mohali
Need to construct spacious parking
The City Beautiful needs ample parking space to accommodate vehicles. Multi-level parking should be constructed at spots witnessing heavy rush of vehicles throughout the day. Parking slips should show slots where commuters can park their vehicles. The same can be made possible with high-tech system connected with internet which displays the designated slot on screens installed at the booths on the entry and the exit points of parking lots.
Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali
Failed to implement multi-level parking
What to talk of the smart paid parking project, the municipal corporation (MC) has even failed to implement multi-level parking on which it spent the hard earned money of tax payers. Despite this, residents continue to pay high parking fee in a hope of getting smart parking facilities. The corporation must assign the project to an experienced agency with required technical expertise so that the smart paid parking project is implemented in the city.
Savita Kuthiala, Chandigarh
Prepare roadmap for smart parking project
Till smart paid parking starts functioning, the municipal corporation (MC) should allow free parking for vehicles in parking lots of the city. The MC should prepare a roadmap for the project and work on it accordingly. The equipment for smart paid parking should be procured in advance and attendants should be given training to handle it. Proper infrastructure should be built for smart parking.
Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh
Get ready to shell out extra money
If smart paid parking system is operational in newly constructed buildings of UT Secretariat and the Chandigarh Housing Board in Sector 9, then there is no reason why such facility cannot be extended to other parts of city in a phased manner. For smooth and smart paid parking, manpower and equipment are required, which come at a cost. Hence, parking cannot be free. So, residents should be ready to shell out little extra money and enjoy trouble free parking in the city.
Vijay Shukla, Chandigarh
Senior citizens at receiving end
In the name of smart parking, the municipal corporation (MC) has increased parking fee which burdens residents. Its most important is to implement smart paid parking and employ sufficient staff to manage parking lots. Due to haphazard parking, senior citizens and women face difficulties in parking their vehicles. The MC should ensure adequate parking space for residents in the city.
Col Balbir Singh Mathauda (retd)
Develop centralised app for booking slots
To expedite smart paid parking in Chandigarh, the municipal corporation (MC) must integrate advanced sensors and IoT technology for real-time parking space availability updates, develop a centralised app for easy space reservation and payment and enhance data analytics to optimise space usage. The MC muse coordinate with local businesses and stakeholders for infrastructure support. The MC can also implement pilot projects in high-traffic areas to refine the smart paid parking system and gather user feedback.
Devanjana, Chandigarh
Centre can provide funds to Civic body
There is a pressing need not only for additional parking lots, but also for switching manually operated parking lots to smart paid parking. The UT Administration should direct the municipal corporation (MC) to implement smart paid parking project in the City Beautiful. The MC might need additional financial grants for the project which can be allocated by the Central Government with a rider that the smart paid parking is implemented with the given timeframe in the city.
SS Arora, Mohali
Could minimise road rage incidents
If smart paid parking is implemented, it would provide relief to residents as they would get hassle free parking across the City Beautiful. It would also minimise road rage incidents due to wrong parking of vehicles, especially cars. The municipal corporation should make all efforts to implement the smart paid parking in the city at the earliest.
Charu Malhotra, Mohali
MC has to maintain parking lots
To overcome parking issues, the municipal corporation (MC) should itself maintain parking lots as is being done now. At present, there is only one shift of employees that works from 10 am to 6 pm to maintain parking lots in the city. The MC should start double shift to maintain all the 89 parks. Besides the MC has to work on the implementation of the smart paid parking through its own resources.
SK Khosla, Chandigarh
QUESTION FOR NEXT WEEK
With the issue of illegal street vendors once again dominating the MC House meeting, what do you believe is missing and needs to be done to effectively address the widespread encroachments in the city?
Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to [email protected]