RTI activist questions MC’s move over allotment of parking site

LUDHIANA: Questioning the civic body’s move to hire a private contractor for allotment of a parking site in Model Town Extension on a public-private partnership basis, city-based RTI activist Kuldeep Khaira submitted a complaint with Local Bodies minister Navjot Sidhu on Wednesday. Khaira alleged that officials did not disclose everything in the terms and conditions (uploaded on MC’s official website) for allotment of tenders to the contractor. Interestingly, MC commissioner Jaskiran Singh said he had no idea about any such move.
This parking site is among those sites for which MC had sought approval from the Local Bodies department, but were asked to wait for the parking policy. Khaira alleged that at the time of developing smart vending zones, MC had only floated an expression of interest, and work was allocated to a private firm. He alleged that after reading the terms and conditions of this expression of interest, it appeared to be a ploy to silently facilitate the entry of advertisement firms in the parking lots.

He said the terms and conditions were published without fixing the parking fee, and instead of fixing the fee for one year, licence would be issued for five years, which may be further extended for another 3 to 5 years. He also pointed out that no condition about monthly pass facility was mentioned, and neither was any condition kept about an e-ticket system, which was earlier introduced by the MC to stop fleecing at other paid parking sites.

He also alleged that the demarcation of a designated parking site and advertisement sites had not been mentioned in the tenders. Making a request for putting a stay on the tenders, Khaira said the Local Bodies department should not allow MC to allot this parking site unless the new parking policy was issued. Meanwhile, the MC commissioner said: “I will be able to comment over it only after checking it from the officer concerned, as it is not in my knowledge.”

However, Navjot Sidhu said he had not received any complaint yet, but he would also check the matter. He said new parking sites cannot be allotted before implementation of the parking policy.