MUMBAI: In a bid to stop
the malpractice of fleecing motorists at the pay-and-park lots, the BMC
has decided to switch to a hi-tech web-based system, under which printed
receipts will be generated by a hand-held device and given to motorists
in civic parking zones.

Civic officials hope the online
system, the operation of which will be transparent, will help tighten
security and stop private contractors from charging arbitrary parking
fee.

The proposal for the project -initially 600 devices will
be sought for Rs 6.84 lakh-will be tabled in the standing committee
meeting on Wednesday and if approved, the system will be started around
two months later. Apart from being handed out printed receipts for their
vehicles, motorists can also book parking slots online. The online
option is likely to be available by the end of the year.

To deal with the problem of over charging at the civic pay and park the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
(BMC) has decided to switch to a hi-tech web based parking system, by
which printed receipts will be given to motorists at the parking lots
with the help of a hand held device.

Under the system, as a
vehicle is parked, an attendant will key into the device the details of
the car, including its make, where it is parked and when it checks in.
When the motorist exits, the attendant will generate a receipt and
charge the motorist based on the hours the vehicle is parked there.
“Even as the details are fed into the device, the same information will
be recorded on the central server,” a civic official said. The data will
also be stored for posterity in the hard disk of the system.

According to the civic officials, there are 93 roadside pay and park
lots in the city. The BMC has received large number of complaints about
cheating of people at parking lots y overcharging the motorists by
private contractors who would give handwritten receipts.

The civic body has allotted this contract to M/s Geodesic Limited,
which has proposed Rs 19,000 for each hand held device. The Rs 6.84
lakh proposal, for 500 devices, will be tabled before the civic standing
committee for approval on Wednesday.