The Hindu                 03.05.2013

Objection to collecting parking fee

An effort of the civic administration to ease problems on the parking front ran into rough weather here on Thursday.

Since indiscriminate and haphazard parking by a sizeable section of the local community, particularly traders, had been identified as the main cause for the aggravation of parking-related problems in crowded and busy parts of the town, the municipality had decided to collect parking fees in order to prevent such vehicles from being parked for hours together.

A resolution to this effect had also been passed at the last meeting of the Udhagamandalam Municipal Council.

Since it had taken some time to complete the formalities relating to tender, municipal officials themselves had started collecting parking fees from May 1 on the Upper Bazaar, Lower Bazaar, Commercial, Wenlock, Etienne’s and Onslows roads.

On Thursday some drivers including those driving lorries refused to pay fees for their vehicles parked on the Upper Bazaar road. They got into an argument with N. Nandhakumar, Assistant Revenue Officer who had gone to the spot. Mr. Nandhakumar said that the majority of the traders were extending their cooperation.

The fee collection had been mooted mainly to curb the practice of occupying precious parking space for hours together, often 12 hours and more. Condemned vehicles were being parked for months together.

A sum of Rs. 10 a day was being collected for two-wheeler, Rs. 50 for four-wheelers, Rs. 100 for vans and mini buses. The municipality would not hesitate to tow away vehicles for which parking fees have not been paid.

Owing to lack of parking space near the market, tourists were forced to park their vehicles far away. This affects the business of the merchants inside the market.