Urban News

Of the 15 parking lots put up for auction, three found no takers. These include the parking lots near the Batra Theatre in Sector 37, a tourist bus parking in Manimajra and a parking lot near the district courts, Sector 17.

The parking lot in front of the Empire Store, Sector 17, sold for Rs 40 lakh against the reserve price of Rs 22.10 lakh. While the parking lot in zone I of Sector 8 was auctioned for Rs 39.25 lakh, the parking lot in front of Shanti Kunj, Sector 16, fetched Rs 2.85 lakh — the lowest at the auction—¿ against the reserve price of Rs 1.16 lakh.

The auction was held under the chairmanship of Joint Commissioner T P S Phoolka with councillors Pardeep Chhabra and Chander Mukhi Sharma and other officers.

Bidders demanded a change of site for the parking lot at the district courts that did not find takers. Officials said the bidders asked for the free parking sites adjoining to the paid parking lot to be included in this site.

With the auction of the parking lots, new parking guidelines would come into force. The civic body had recently approved a number of measures that were aimed at streamlining the parking situation in the city. These include provisions for imposing steep penalties for various violations.

According to the rules, the parking lot contractor has to deploy one attendant every 50 metres to ensure smooth parking. If the attendant is not present, a Rs 500 fine will be imposed henceforth. Tokens will be issued along with parking slips at the entrance to ensure that the vehicles are parked at the designated spots. The tokens will be collected by attendants who facilitate the parking.

The contractor will also have to submit a list of attendants to officials of the Municipal Corporation. Failure to do this would invite a fine of Rs 2,000.

Parking attendants and supervisors found not wearing uniforms or name plates will be fined Rs 500. Attendants will have to be present at the parking lot from 8 am to 12 midnigh— non-compliance will invite a fine of Rs 500. Non-installation of CCTV cameras will invite fine of Rs 5,000.

On January 15, Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagade had introduced the concept to ensure that plans made in the budget are effectively implemented. Each department had been directed to declare their vision for the year and the steps they would take for initiating or executing projects, complete with a timeframe for each work.

Most of the departments have not prepared the document. Those who have drafted it have been asked to rework it to finetune responsibilities they will have in the year. “The process of drafting the vision document is on. Few departments have submitted the draft. Others have been asked to do it as early as possible,” said Virendra Jadhavrao, deputy municipal commissioner, appointed to ensure implementation of the budget plans.

In the few vision documents submitted, shortcomings were noted and the departments directed to make relevant changes with a clear plan on the work and the time frame, he said.

Civic activist Vivek Velankar said the head of civic departments not supporting the commissioner’s initiative revealed a sorry state of affairs. “The concept is good and will yield positive results if properly implemented. It will inculcate a professional approach in civic officers as they will have to prove their efficiency by achieving targets set by themselves,” he said.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vijay Dahibhate, in charge of the electrical department, said his department had submitted the draft. He said the initiative is commendable as it gives the civic staff a clear roadmap of works they have to carry out in a year. “It sets a target for the department and a challenge to achieve it as planned. It also brings in accountability,” he said.