The Times of India 23.11.2010
HUDA turns the heat on parking mafia in the city
GURGAON: Miffed at finding its vacant plots being used for illegal parking slots in several sectors in Gurgaon, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is cracking the whip on parking mafia that is active in the city.
The apex housing body was shocked to learn that vacant plots around the Sector 29 Leisure Valley Park are being encroached upon by the parking mafia.
According to HUDA officials, these illegal parking slots are also making a deep hole in their pockets. Contractors are charging the money from vehicle owners, but the HUDA is not getting that money, said officials. Now, the HUDA has launched a drive to clean all these illegal parking lots and ensure that its vacant plots are not encroached upon, said HUDA administrator Nitin Yadav.
He said that the large plots in and around Leisure Valley will be the first to be tendered to contractors for running parking lots. At present, the vacant land is being illegally used by hundreds of motorists for parking daily. There are several places in underdeveloped residential areas where vacant plots are being used as parking sites for commercial complexes in the vicinity. The HUDA is also planning to issue notices to the plot owners and initiate action.
In addition, HUDA officials are also looking for other vacant plots which are being illegally used for parking. In certain sectors, said a senior HUDA official, the plots are being used for parking cabs and tourist buses during the day time. Since these pockets are already being used as parking lots, HUDA plans to add these places in the list of parking sites available. With this, the agency will try to streamline the parking mess that we get to see in many vacant places. Also, there will an accountability of contractors for running the site and, most importantly, the HUDA will earn money out of it, said the official.
The process of finalizing the parking sites is nearing completion. The agency has asked the contractors of 24 sites who are running parking sites beyond their contractual time limit. The contractors have been told to pay up the additional money as per the tender amount agreed before handing over the management of these sites. In the fresh tender, all the parking sites will given for a year and there will be review on a tri-monthly basis, said the official.
The apex housing body was shocked to learn that vacant plots around the Sector 29 Leisure Valley Park are being encroached upon by the parking mafia.
According to HUDA officials, these illegal parking slots are also making a deep hole in their pockets. Contractors are charging the money from vehicle owners, but the HUDA is not getting that money, said officials. Now, the HUDA has launched a drive to clean all these illegal parking lots and ensure that its vacant plots are not encroached upon, said HUDA administrator Nitin Yadav.
He said that the large plots in and around Leisure Valley will be the first to be tendered to contractors for running parking lots. At present, the vacant land is being illegally used by hundreds of motorists for parking daily. There are several places in underdeveloped residential areas where vacant plots are being used as parking sites for commercial complexes in the vicinity. The HUDA is also planning to issue notices to the plot owners and initiate action.
In addition, HUDA officials are also looking for other vacant plots which are being illegally used for parking. In certain sectors, said a senior HUDA official, the plots are being used for parking cabs and tourist buses during the day time. Since these pockets are already being used as parking lots, HUDA plans to add these places in the list of parking sites available. With this, the agency will try to streamline the parking mess that we get to see in many vacant places. Also, there will an accountability of contractors for running the site and, most importantly, the HUDA will earn money out of it, said the official.
The process of finalizing the parking sites is nearing completion. The agency has asked the contractors of 24 sites who are running parking sites beyond their contractual time limit. The contractors have been told to pay up the additional money as per the tender amount agreed before handing over the management of these sites. In the fresh tender, all the parking sites will given for a year and there will be review on a tri-monthly basis, said the official.
