Chandigarh MC allows traders to run parking lots in internal markets

The General House of the Chandigarh municipal corporation on Friday gave the green signal for allowing market associations to manage parking lots in the city’s internal markets.

There will be no parking fee as the House decided that the associations will have to run these parking lots for free.

All markets located along the V4 roads (which bisect the sectors) are to be transferred to the associations. The next step will be the signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the associations and the MC.

The MC aims to improve parking management in internal markets, while at the same time offering it for free to the public.

After the civic body’s earlier attempts to bring these parking lots under the purview of private parking contractors faced stiff opposition from market associations, the MC House in February 2019 had directed the officials to prepare a draft MoU for operation and management of parking lots in internal markets by market associations.

The associations had contended that handing over parking lots to contractors will increase parking rates, making the markets unattractive for shoppers.

Thereafter, an MC committee was constituted to prepare the draft MoU. The market associations in its meetings with the committee requested it to formulate two draft MoUs, one for operating the parking lots for free and another on “no profit no loss” basis.

“Under the no profit no loss basis, markets were to charge the users to cover their parking management expenses, which had come to around ₹5 for car parking and ₹2 for scooter parking,” said Charanjiv Singh, a nominated councillor and Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) president.

The CBM is an umbrella organisation of 80 market associations, which was holding talks with the MC committee on the issue. Among these 80 markets, 60 are located on V4 roads. The CBM assured the MC committee that it would persuade all associations to take up these parking lots for public convenience.

After two draft MoUs were finalised by the committee, these were submitted to the MC commissioner, who directed that only the one for free parking should be prepared and tabled before the House for approval. The House in its meeting concurred with the commissioner’s observation and decided that market associations willing to take over parking lots must not charge any parking fee from the users.

No licence fee exemption to parking contractors

Private firms engaged to manage parking lots in Chandigarh could face cancellation of their contract after the Chandigarh municipal corporation’s General House on Friday rejected their demand for licence fee exemptions worth around ₹2 crore.

Already served recovery notice for outstanding dues by the MC, the contractors will now be served revised notices amounting to around ₹3.6 crore.

If dues are not paid within the stipulated period, the civic body will initiate cancellation proceedings and take over 89 parking lots allotted to them, said MC commissioner Anindita Mitra during the General House meeting on Friday.

Divided into two zones, the parking lots are being run by two parking contractors. On account of the Covid-19 pandemic and free parking extended to all MC employees, the contractors had sought licence fee exemption. For Zone 1, the exemption sought was ₹1.02 crore, and for Zone 2, it was ₹98.64 lakh.

Till October 31, Zone 1 owes around ₹1.2 crore and Zone 2 around ₹2.4 crore, for which recovery notices will be issued, said SK Jain, MC additional commissioner.

Immediately after the agenda for the remission of the licence fee came up for discussion before the MC House on Friday, both Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress councilors opposed the move.

Leader of opposition Devinder Singh Babla said: “The companies cannot threat us in the form of surrendering the parking lot or going to court. They don’t deserve these exemptions at all.”

Showing a picture of misuse of a “handicap parking” by a contractor, BJP councillor and former mayor Davesh Moudgil said: “Even after many directions, the contractors continue to mismanage the parking lots. The violations are galore and we cannot allow public money to go waste on their undeserved exemptions.”

Reacting to the MC House resolution, Vikas Pandey, manager of the firm operating parking lots in Zone 2, said: “We will again request the MC to reconsider its decision. We are only seeking what is genuine. During the pandemic lockdown, the parking lots were closed. We are also providing free parking to MC employees. Moving court will be our last resort to seek justice.”

A month’s vending fee waived in view of pandemic

Taking into account the adverse affects of the coronavirus pandemic on the livelihoods of street vendors, the Chandigarh municipal corporation waived off their vending fee for May 2021 on Friday.

Those who have been defaulting on their vending fee prior to January 1, 2020 or have had their certificates suspended or cancelled at any stage will not be eligible for the exemption.

As many as 7,240 street vendors are eligible for the fee waive-off, while 3,677 others are not. The decision was taken at the MC general house meeting.

The MC house also decided to waive off the licence fee of firms managing unipoles for 90 days and for those managing advertisements at 55 public toilets for 45 days. Fee amounting to ₹77.81 lakh will be waived off. The firms had sought exemption on account of the pandemic.

In another decision, it was decided that Group D employees of the municipal corporation will be insured under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana at an annual cost of ₹87,192.