Deadline over, haphazard parking still the norm at paid facilities in Chandigarh

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 9

Even after the week’s deadline set by the Municipal Corporation for parking contractors, haphazard parking and lack of attendants can still be seen at many parking lots, an MC inspection report submitted to Commissioner Anindita Mitra has found.

According to the report, “haphazard parking was found in the evening at major parking sites...in major parkings such as Elante, Sukhna Lake, Sector 35 B & C, 43, 20, 22, 26 and the MOH and Sahib Singh lots in Sector 17. Though staff were deployed inside, but they were without whistles and sticks. In small parking lots, no staff was deployed”.

Chandigarh Tribune observed that lack of adequate staff leads to chaotic scenes as there was no one to guide the drivers amid a huge rush of vehicles.

The report mentioned that improvement was needed with regard to parking kiosks, barricades, cones and chains put up at the parking lots.

However, the report pointed out that several other smart features mentioned in the contract were in place.

Two parking contractors, who manage 89 sites, had complied with most of the basic parking features such as e-ticketing, LED display, e-payment, staff wearing uniform at most sites and boom barrier (at required sites), it added.

The UT Adviser had earlier raised the issue. Later, the Opposition in the General House of the MC had also raked up the issue of smart features not having been introduced.

Mitra then tightened the noose around the contractors and gave them a week to implement the features.