Finance and Contract Committee meet: MC panel defers imposition of revised parking rates

A parking lot in Chandigarh (Express Photo)

The Finance and Contract Committee Wednesday deferred implementation of the revised parking fee, which had to be doubled from November 1. The move means that people will continue to pay the existing parking rates for another month. The decision was made during a meeting of the panel that the company, Arya Toll Infra Limited, which is managing the parking lots, be given time till November 18 to convert them into smart parking lots. Only after they have been converted, the new rates would come into force.

Councillor Arun Sood, a member of the panel said: “Infact, it was observed that till the time the company doesn’t provide smart parking facilities to residents, the rates would not be hiked.” Sood added that a decision will taken after November 18 when they will review the situation. The company is yet to install CCTV cameras in all the parking lots, introduce the parking app through which people can book their parking space, have a control room and fulfil other terms and conditions of the agreement.

It has been nearly four months that the company took over and the decision of new rates which are to be implemented is being deferred again by the BJP-led Municipal Corporation. The rates had to be implemented in September, but the MC deferred it till October and now further. Another panel member said they don’t want to be too rigid with the parking contractor as the civic body is earning good revenue. “Earlier, the parking lots would be handed over for a contract of Rs 4 crore and now the contract has been taken is Rs 14 crore. We have to be flexible,” the member said.

The new rates were approved in the general house meeting in March. According to the fee that was approved by the house, a car owner had to pay Rs 10 per entry and Rs 10 after every two hours. For two-wheelers, it was Rs 5 per entry and then Rs 5 for every two hours.

As per the existing rates, a four-wheeler owner is being charged Rs 5 per entry and a two-wheeler owner is being charged Rs 2 per entry. These rates will continue as of now. The company has been asked by the MC to deposit the second installment also which it did not and had sought more time from the civic body. The company representative had claimed that the civic officials were not paying heed to its demands of at least giving basic infrastructure in the parking lots like proper street lighting, road repair and other enforcement issues.