Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Cha_MS_Mc parking mesByline: Munieshwer A SagarChandigarh municipal corporation prescribes parking improvements but fails to follow themMunieshwer.Sagar@timesofindia.com Chandigarh: Nearly a decade after plans were first mooted for a ‘smart parking system’ in the city, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) continues to fall short in modernising parking facilities. Even more pointedly, in the 3 years since the civic body took direct control of managing its parking lots following the end of private contractor arrangements, it failed to enforce even the most basic improvements it mandated for those contractors.Residents parking in MC-managed lots still face daily inconveniences and chaos, with long queues, poor guidance, and outdated practices persisting unchanged.The MC’s own request for proposals (RFPs) and contract terms included clear guidelines to enhance user experience, such as collecting parking fees only at the exit to prevent unnecessary congestion at entry points and avoid charging drivers who ultimately find no space. However, fee collection remains at the entry, leading to serpentine lines spilling onto approach roads and slips.Other unfulfilled prescriptions, such as parking attendants assisting motorists in locating available spaces, guiding proper parking to optimise utilisation, ensuring smooth internal traffic flow to avoid congestion, and wearing clean uniforms with visible name tags, also remain on paper.Displaying clear messages when no parking slots are available and installing CCTV surveillance at entry and exit points for monitoring, detecting encroachments or illegal parking, and enabling quick incident response—none of these measures were implemented under direct MC management.Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi sharply criticised the civic body, calling it an “utter failure” that highlights incompetence. “The MC had the opportunity to set an example in efficient parking management and improve convenience for residents,” Gabi said. “Even as it earns profits from the lots, it provides no basic facilities—no boom barriers, no attendant assistance for parking, no real-time information on available spaces. The simplest rule of charging at the exit isn’t even followed.”AAP councillor Yogesh Dhingra echoed the frustration, pointing to repeated parking fee hikes—from Rs 10 to Rs 12, and now to Rs 14—promising better conditions that never materialised. “Not a single step was taken to implement its own prescriptions,” Dhingra questioned.“How much does it cost to instruct attendants to collect fees at the exit? With revenue from these hikes, couldn’t the MC install CCTV for better management and security? It could have led by example for future private operators, but it failed completely.”The ongoing issues underscore broader delays in the city’s long-promised smart parking initiatives, including AI-based systems, FASTag integration, and real-time availability displays—elements that remain stalled or scaled back despite years of planning and public expectations.As parking woes persist amid rising vehicle numbers, residents continue to demand accountability and tangible upgrades from the civic body that directly profits from their daily parking struggles.Pradeep Kumar, MC commissioner, said, “We introduced the MC one-pass, which will resolve exit and entry issues. Other improvements are also being worked out.”MC has initiated the process to rope in private contractors to run the parking lots.BOX: MC NOT FOLLOWING ITS OWN PRESCRIPTION collecting parking fees only at the exit parking attendants assisting motorists in locating available spaces displaying clear messages when no parking slots are available installing CCTV surveillance at entry and exit points boom barriers parking attendants in uniforms and name badges FASTag reading system ensuring the number of vehicles parked in a parking lot does not exceed its designated capacity MSID:: 128756710 413 |
