Rajkot: Decision for once BJP and the opposition Congress in Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) are on the same page – demanding an end to the pay and park system and free parking for all in the financial capital of the Saurashtra region.
There are 42 pay and park sites in Rajkot city, but travelers prefer to park along the road to avoid paying the fee.
During the recent RMC Standing Committee meeting, both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress had raised the issue of abolishing the pay and park system. During the meeting, the proposal of re-tendering of existing salary and park sites was placed before the members for discussion by the Rajkot Municipal Commissioner. Amit Arora,
BJP councilor during discussion Nehal Shukla On behalf of the ruling party, there was a demand to abolish the pay and park system. He suggested that the contract should be given to the local traders’ associations or voluntary organizations to manage the parking in the city. Shukla also offered to compensate the civic body for the loss of revenue out of his own pocket.
“RMC does not intend to generate revenue from salaries and park sites. It gets only Rs 9.50 lakh per year from salary and park contractors, who take Rs 1 crore from the public every year. Most commuters find parking spaces in corners and alleys where there is no charge. Many a times there have been clashes with contractors threatening people because of parking charges,” Shukla told TOI.
Leader of Opposition in RMC of Congress Bhanuben Sorani During the meeting of the Standing Committee, also demanded to abolish the salary and park policy.
When contacted, Municipal Commissioner Amit Arora said, “A model parking policy was framed by the state government and based on that the parking policy of RMC was approved in the general board. A uniform policy for parking in commercial areas has been adopted by all the municipal corporations.
He said the parking charges collected were not that high. “These charges are for maintaining discipline and proper parking on congested roads,” Arora said.
There are 42 pay and park sites in Rajkot city, but travelers prefer to park along the road to avoid paying the fee.
During the recent RMC Standing Committee meeting, both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress had raised the issue of abolishing the pay and park system. During the meeting, the proposal of re-tendering of existing salary and park sites was placed before the members for discussion by the Rajkot Municipal Commissioner. Amit Arora,
BJP councilor during discussion Nehal Shukla On behalf of the ruling party, there was a demand to abolish the pay and park system. He suggested that the contract should be given to the local traders’ associations or voluntary organizations to manage the parking in the city. Shukla also offered to compensate the civic body for the loss of revenue out of his own pocket.
“RMC does not intend to generate revenue from salaries and park sites. It gets only Rs 9.50 lakh per year from salary and park contractors, who take Rs 1 crore from the public every year. Most commuters find parking spaces in corners and alleys where there is no charge. Many a times there have been clashes with contractors threatening people because of parking charges,” Shukla told TOI.
Leader of Opposition in RMC of Congress Bhanuben Sorani During the meeting of the Standing Committee, also demanded to abolish the salary and park policy.
When contacted, Municipal Commissioner Amit Arora said, “A model parking policy was framed by the state government and based on that the parking policy of RMC was approved in the general board. A uniform policy for parking in commercial areas has been adopted by all the municipal corporations.
He said the parking charges collected were not that high. “These charges are for maintaining discipline and proper parking on congested roads,” Arora said.