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Bathinda civic body to handle tow-away drive
The Bathinda MC will now handle towing of haphazardly parked vehicles in market areas, previously managed by a contractor. Shopkeepers had protested the contractor's actions.
The Bathinda municipal corporation (MC), in a meeting on Friday, decided to undertake itself the operation to tow away the haphazardly parked vehicles in market areas. Earlier, the work was allotted to a contractor, in-charge of Punjab’s first multi-level (six-storey) parking lot built at the cost of ₹30 crore on land costing ₹250 crore. The ₹800 penalty obtained from errants is shared by the contractor ( ₹500) and the urban local body ( ₹300).
The shopkeepers of Dhobi Bazaar, a retail and wholesale market hub, and surrounding areas had been demanding cancellation of the contract, accusing the contractor of highhandedness. They said customers were avoiding visiting the market areas due to the tow-away operation. They also kept their shops closed on August 15 as a mark of protest.
Citing legal implications due to terms and conditions of the contract already approved by the MC and loss of revenue, the Congress-dominated general house rejected the traders’ demand by agreeing to amend a few rules. The stormy meeting lasted for nearly six hours. Now, the tow van would be managed by the MC and the revenue sharing will continue as per the terms and conditions.
The House agreed that before towing, errants will be given less than a minute to remove their vehicles. The operator will use a loudspeaker to warn against wrongly parked cars.
Before the beginning of the proceedings, officiating mayor Ashok Kumar (senior Congress leader) and Municipal Commissioner Rahul asked the journalists to leave the meeting hall without giving any reason. They also called the police to force scribes out of the venue.
