Chandigarh Municipal Corporation can earn crores by introducing nominal one-time parking fee at time of registration, says FOSWAC

Chandigarh Municipal Corporation can earn crores by introducing a nominal one-time parking fee at the time of registration, says FOSWAC. The proposal was put forward during a meeting of FOSWAC held at the People’s Convention Centre in Sector 36. The meeting was chaired by Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman of FOSWAC, and attended by Chandigarh Mayor Saurabh Joshi, who interacted with representatives of various Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) to listen to their grievances.

The proceedings were initiated by J S Gogia, general secretary of FOSWAC. Speaking at the meeting, Bittu said the Municipal Corporation has been unable to effectively manage the paid parking system in Chandigarh for several years. He suggested that the corporation could introduce a system in which a nominal fee is charged for three to five years at the time of registration of new vehicles, which would allow the civic body to collect substantial revenue.

He proposed that existing vehicles registered in Chandigarh should also be given the option to pay a one-time fee for three or five years, while vehicles from other states could continue to be charged as per the existing parking rates. Bittu also said that parking fees should ideally be collected at the time of exit instead of entry, as vehicles lining up at entry points often block the free flow of traffic on roads near parking lots.

Apart from parking issues, several other civic concerns were raised by RWA representatives during the meeting. Bittu also highlighted the poor condition of roads across the city, urging the departments concerned to carry out recarpeting work at the earliest. Other members raised issues including illegal vending in markets, improper garbage collection, lack of maintenance in parks, stray dog and monkey menace, traffic congestion near markets and religious places, inadequate lighting in some sectors, and encroachments at markets.

Mayor Joshi sought cooperation from RWAs in addressing civic issues. He assured the representatives that matters concerning residents should be brought to his notice and efforts would be made to resolve them. Joshi said that some development works were delayed earlier due to financial constraints, but added that many pending civic issues are expected to be addressed at a faster pace in the coming days.