BHOPAL: From Sunday, May 1, barring three multilevel parking and select premium parking spots, three dozen-plus parking spaces in Bhopal will be ‘free’, according to a new Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) policy. The catch is, at the time of registration of a new vehicle, BMC will charge a one-time parking cess of Rs 200 to Rs 5,000.
From Sunday, parking at the Boat Club and 42 other BMC parking slots will be free. You will still have to pay at the multilevel parking at New Market, Bairagarh, MP Nagar, and select premium parking spaces at New Market, MP Nagar and other posh locations.
At a time when urban bodies are finding new avenues for increasing their revenue, BMC has gone in the reverse direction. Last month, TOI had highlighted that revenue from parking was less than 0.50 paise per vehicle in the state capital. Thousands of rupees were collected per day as parking fees but it never reached the BMC cashbook. BMC officials now admit that two private parking operators were non-functional for months. Investigation into what looks like a scam never took off.
Two yrs on, automated system still remains in parking mode
For now, the BMC line is free parking for the convenience of the citizens. “We received daily complaints of misbehavior with citizens in parking zones. Free parking will resolve this issue,” said BMC additional commissioner Shashvat Meena. BMC collected around Rs 2 crore as parking revenue.
Stepping back to two years before the pandemic hit, the MP urban development department had rolled out global tenders for ‘private operation and maintenance of parking’ in Bhopal. Companies with experience in operating parking in middle east and south-east Asia were expected to transform the situation. New tech and automated parking were aimed to reduce pilferage. Transparency and security were the key words, and the project was pegged as a smart city initiative.
The plan is still in ‘parked’ mode.
“I am not aware about the pre-pandemic situation and parking policy,” Meena said. “CCTV cameras and support from traffic police will be taken to ensure safety. We have informed DSP traffic about the new parking policy. Complaint numbers will be displayed if parking is charged,” he added.
The question remains, if parking is free, who is responsible for operation and maintenance? “Similar policy has been adopted by Indore. It has been a success,” he added. BMC officials refuse to give details, “In about 15 days we will have an impact assessment,” said Meena, adding that BMC expected a 50% revenue from free parking.
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