The committee was formed following a hue and cry over the hike in parking rates.
No smart parking solutions and parking lots full of haphazard parking. This is a finding of the committee of councillors which has inspected 17 out of 26 paid parking lots. The committee was formed following a hue and cry over the hike in parking rates. Going by the facilities available at the majority of the parking lots, the committee thinks, the hike is not justified.
Raj Bala Malik, chairperson of the committee constituted by Mayor Davesh Moudgil, told Chandigarh Newsline that the parking lots were full of haphazard parking and several basic terms and conditions of the agreement with the MC were not fulfilled, what to talk of having smart facilities.
In the report compiled by the committee, it was stated that at the parking lot of Sector 35-C, four-wheelers were parked in the lanes meant for two-wheelers, there were no adequate CCTV cameras at the lot, smart card based-payment system was absent and manpower at 50-metre distance was not found. Also, appropriate signboards and swipe machines were not found.
Supporting pictures of the violations by the contractor, mismanaged parking, have been attached with the report on each parking lot.
At the parking lot outside Elante Mall, the team found glaring violations. “Vehicles are parked in a haphazard manner. Four-wheelers were parked in no parking area which reduces the distance between car lanes and public found it difficult to take their car out of that parking slot. We saw general public complaining about it as it damages parked cars,” the committee said in the report. The team saw a board hung on a pole which said that the slot was reserved for the handicapped but it was being used by general public.
“At the parking lot of Sector 35-B, haphazard parking was found. Cars parked in scooter parking and scooters parked in car parking. Digital signage which has to be there showing capacity occupancy and vacant slots isn’t there. There are no smart parking solutions, no separate parking for handicapped and women, no signboards displaying rate list, inadequate CCTV cameras, no proper kiosks at entry and exit points, no smart card system, no manpower at every 50 metre distance to assist people,” the committee noted.
At the Sector 22-C parking lot, the committee remarked that they just found only one person at entry and one at exit point and no staff was deputed at every 50 metres. “Vehicles are parked in a haphazard manner. They were parked in no parking areas too and two-wheelers were parked in four-wheeler areas. No swipe machines, no smart parking solutions, no parking for handicapped or women,” the report said. Similar violations were found in Sector 22-B.
Since April 1, the parking rates have been hiked from Rs 10 to Rs 20 for four-wheelers and Rs 5 to Rs 10 for two-wheelers for up to four hours. Rates double every two hours. This report will be tabled in special house meeting scheduled for April 16.
Malik said that the hike was not justified and it had been pinching city residents.
Another committee
The committee of officials constituted by Municipal Commissioner Jitender Yadav, which had to inspect all parking lots and submit a report every third day, has completed two rounds of inspection at all the 26 parking lots. Similar shortcomings have been highlighted by each of the five sub-divisional engineers (SDEs) who are part of the committee. The third round of inspection will be held on Wednesday.