BBMP’s Smart Parking Project hits roadblock

BENGALURU: Where there is a will, there’s a way. Where there is a way, there are government approvals. The local civic body’s plan to put an end to the parking mafia in Central Business District (CBD) has been delayed due to pending approval from the government for the ambitious project.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had finalised a bidder for the Smart Parking Project along 85 major roads in CBD and had sent the same for government approval in early 2018.BBMP Chief N Manjunatha Prasad told CE, “The project has got all the approval till additional chief secretary of Urban Development Department (UDD). We are still waiting for the government’s order to start the project, and we expect to start the project by the end of February.”

The first phase of the project will cover road space for 3,600 cars and 10,000 two wheelers in identified locations of CBD. The bidder who will maintain and operate the smart parking system will share revenue of `31 crore every year from the parking money collected. The project cost has been estimated to be around`85 crore, which will be invested, maintained and enforced by the finalised bidder, with BBMP as the owner of the project.

How it works

The smart parking will be monitored through censors installed along the roads, which will convert the database into information for the monitoring cell. The bidder can fix clamps in case of illegal or unauthorised parking. Post this, the monitoring cell will send a message to the traffic police, who will then book a case against the vehicle owners.