Paid parking resumes at BRS Nagar, Bhadaur House lots in Ludhiana

Paid parking was suspended after imposition of curfew in the state in March

Contractors resumed paid parking at the Bhai Randhir Singh (BRS) Nagar and Bhadaur House on Saturday, inviting resentment from traders.

A visitor collecting a parking slip at a facility in BRS Nagar, Ludhiana, on Saturday. As per the prescribed rates, two-wheelers can be parked for ₹10 and four-wheelers for ₹20. (GURPREET SINGH/HT)

Visitors need to pay Rs 10 for two-wheelers and Rs 20 for four-wheelers.

Paid parking was suspended after imposition of curfew in the state in March.

The municipal corporation had directed the contractors to resume paid parking after the lockdown restrictions were removed in June, but the contractors had delayed the process citing low footfall amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“MC should lift paid parking as shopkeepers had paid for parking sites as well when SCOs were allotted to them. Besides, contractors continue to fleece visitors despite various complaints to the civic body,” said Gursharan Singh, a shopkeeper at Bhadaur House

Now, paid parking is operational at the multi-storey parking near MC’s Zone A office, BRS Nagar and Bhadaur house.

MC secretary Neeraj Jain said the parking lot of tuition market in Model Town Extension has still not been started due to poor footfall.

MC officials had forwarded the case for cancelling the contracts of two parking lots – Feroze Gandhi market and Sarabha Nagar Block-I – to the finance and contracts committee as the contractors failed to take possession of the lots.

Following a resolution and e-auction, the parking lots at Feroze Gandhi market and Sarabha Nagar Block-I market were reallotted for Rs 1.10 crore and Rs 4.5 lakh, respectively, on June 9.