Comprehensive policy on parking in 3 months: HC told

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29

The UT Administration is coming out with a comprehensive policy for putting an end to the parking woes of motorists in the city, the Punjab and Haryana High Court was told today.

As the matter came up for resumed hearing, the special Division Bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Amol Rattan Singh was told by UT senior standing counsel Pankaj Jain that a survey for coming out with a policy has been carried out by the Administration. The Bench was also told that the comprehensive policy will be in place in three month’s time.

Jain also told the Bench that a park in the vicinity of a school would not be converted into a parking lot. A decision to this effect was taken through a resolution passed by the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on November 22. Jain added the green area had been placed in three categories — cluster green, central green and normal green. He added that the Administration was determined not to reduce the green areas by converting them into parking lots for maintaining greenery.

The High Court had earlier asked the UT authorities to specify the number of challans issued for wrong parking. The UT was also directed to specify whether action has been initiated against people driving on cycle tracks and footpaths.

The Bench had verbally observed that Chandigarh was known to be a city of educated people. As such, it was required to be number one as far as the compliance of traffic rules was involved. The Bench made it clear that it would take up the issue regarding the creation of bus corridor. The Bench also made it clear to the UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation that they were required to provide details regarding the transportation system involving environmental-friendly buses. The Bench also called for details regarding the status of cycle tracks in the city. The counsel for the UT Administration said the repair work would conclude by June and the task of creating new tracks would be achieved by year-end.