Fleecing continues at city parking lots

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 19

Even though the agreement with private contractors has ended, visitors have got no relief at the parking lots looked after by the MC’s tehbazari wing now. Many visitors have accused the MC staff of charging more than the prescribed parking fee.

Sources said many workers, who were earlier working with the private firms awarded the contracts, had been engaged in fee collection at some parking lots. However, the MC officials claimed that only the Tehbazari wing staff had been deployed at all parking lots for collecting fee from visitors.

The fee for parking of a car is just Rs 10 but the MC staff issued old slips, wherein Rs 20 is mentioned as fee, to visitors at the Sarabha Nagar Market parking lot. A visitor claimed that he was charged Rs 20 for parking of his car at the parking lot. Though he had parked his vehicle at the Sarabha Nagar Market, he was allegedly issued parking slip meant for the Feroze Gandhi Market.

The sources said the old slips were also issued at the parking lots of Feroze Gandhi Market.

A city resident, Gagandeep Singh, said: “Earlier, fleecing was commonly done by the staff of private contractors at different parking lots but the MC never took any action against them. As the MC is now looking after the parking lots, it should stop fleecing of visitors.”

Zone D Superintendent Charanjeet Singh said: “We will look into the matter. However, I have asked the staff concerned to charge only the prescribed parking fee. I have also directed the staff to stop issuing old slips. Only the MC staff have been deployed for collecting parking fee. No private workers of previous firms have been deployed there.”