Park at ease, no fee hike for now

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 31

Residents will heave a sigh of relief as the General House of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has deferred the agenda for increasing the parking fee and the number of paid parking lots in the city. The Mayor has formed a committee, headed by Arun Sood, a former Mayor, to recommend rates and the terms and conditions for allotment of lots.

The MC had proposed to convert around 30 free parking areas into paid lots, besides enhancing the parking fee. The new paid parking lots had been identified in Sector 7, 19, 22, 23, 24, 36 and on Madhya Marg. When the issue came up for discussion at the meeting, councillors decided to wait for the report of the committee.

The MC had proposed to charge Rs 10 for two-wheelers and Rs 20 for four-wheelers, which were to be doubled after four hours.

The Municipal Corporation has decided to continue to run  all  parking  lots on its  own at old rates till these are  allotted to new  firms. 

Sources said the allotment was likely to take three to four months.  

The Municipal Corporation has been running 25 paid parking lots at old rates after it terminated the agreement with M/s Arya Toll Infra Ltd, which was allotted these parking lots and a multi-level parking  after the company failed to pay the licence fee amounting to Rs 3.69 crore.

Davesh Moudgil opposed the proposal for an increase  in the  parking  fee stating that it would put  an additional burden  on people. 

Kirron Kher, MP, had  also  asked  the Mayor  to defer the  agenda for an increase in the  parking fee.   

MC won’t reconsider budget proposal  

Councillors also decided not to reconsider the MC budget and will send it to the Administration for approval again. 

The Administration had  rejected the budget proposal approved by the Municipal Corporation for 2019-2020, terming it unrealistic  and  had directed the civic body to reconsider it at its next House meeting. 

However, members were  of the  view that  there was no reason to  reconsider the budget as the  civic body had demanded Rs 1,026 crore grant in aid  based  on the  recommendations of the Fourth Finance Commission.  Arun Sood, a former Mayor, said it was their right  to seek the  share.