The Indian Express 26.06.2013
MC divides Ferozepur road parking into 30 blocks upto Sidhwan canal, auction today
Each parking lot has been given a specific auction amount ranging from a maximum of Rs 57.60 lakh to a minimum of Rs 10 lakh.
As per the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, dated May 29,
the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has made all the arrangements to
convert the parking lots on Ferozepur road into paid parking. The
auction of the 13 parking sites divided into 30 blocks up to Sidhwan
Canal will be held on June 26 at the Zone-D office of the MC.
Based on annual licence fee, contractors will be given the
responsibility for each parking lot for one year. Each parking lot has
been given a specific auction amount ranging from maximum Rs 57.60 lakh
to minimum Rs 10 lakh, as per the official documents accessed by
Ludhiana Newsline.
In 13 parking sites, the MC has divided the total parking area of
1,38,777 square feet into 30 blocks from A to Z4. Following the HC
orders, which asked the MC to finalise the rates of parking on its own,
rates have been fixed as Rs 5 for cycle, Rs 10 for scooter, car,
rickshaw or any four-wheeler.
However, car owners will be the ultimate sufferers as they have
to pay Rs 10 for one hour and Rs 20 for another hour. If the car parked
crosses two hours, not only a penalty of Rs 1,000 will be slapped,
traffic police or MC tehbazari wing will tow away the car, as per the
High Court orders.
However, a scooter or cycle can be parked for unlimited time
period paying Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively. While these rates have been
fixed for the common man, the shop and other commercial establishment
owners have to pay Rs 100 per day for parking cars.
"A separate identity token will be issued to every shopkeeper by the contractor," say the MC documents.
Contractors have also been told to issue separate tokens to
employees of banks and insurance companies who will be charged Rs 30 for
the whole day to park their cars.
Not only this, the MC has also told the contractors beforehand that
"in case due to six-laning of road going on, if development work or
construction starts in any of the block, MC will not take the monthly
instalment from the contractor".
Keeping in mind the harassment caused to public when they are
asked to pay the service tax by parking contractors (MC getting such
complaints from Feroze Gandhi Market and other areas in city), MC this
time has already made it clear in rules that people will not be asked to
pay service tax.
"We have already made it clear in rules that rates specified are
including service tax and thus people will not be charged a single penny
in the name of service tax," said Naveen Malhotra, an MC official,
heading this project.
Asked if the MC failed to conduct a successful auction on
Wednesday, Malhotra said, "We are expecting a good response as many
people have called up to enquire and we have kept the rates very nominal
but still if auction fails to conclude, we will be presenting all
efforts done by MC to auction sites successfully in front of HC during
the next hearing on July 5."
Deepak Badyal, general secretary, Ferozepur Road Shopkeepers
Association, said, "The decision to make parking paid is not a happy one
for shopkeepers and definitely for visitors too. Our business will also
suffer and people will be in a rush to move out of shops before two
hours but definitely it is better than no parking at all."
"Now we will have to think about coming to offices on scooters,
and not in cars," said another shopkeeper, commenting on fee of Rs 100
per day for shop owners.
