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Now, book your space at six Ludhiana parking lots through mobile app
Parking process would be streamlined and visitors will be able to pre-book slots for their cars at these six parking lots through finlo parking app.
With the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) auctioning six parking lots in the city on Thursday, users are in for some relief, but that would come at a price.
Parking process would be streamlined and visitors will be able to pre-book slots for their cars at these six parking lots through finlo parking app. All parking receipts will be issued online, that would help in minimising scope of overcharging.
However, people would need to shell out more as the parking fee has been doubled. Two-wheelers would be charged ₹10, while the rate will be ₹20 for a four-wheeler.
The parking lots which have been auctioned by the MC are multi-storey parking lot near MC’s Zone-A office, Feroze Gandhi market, Sarabha Nagar I-block market, BRS Nagar market near Orient cinema, Model Town extension market (tuition market) and Bhadaur House market.
The sites which have been excluded this year are the ones at Sarabha Nagar main market, Sidhwan canal to Ferozepur Road Octroi post, Jagraon Bridge to Sherpur Chowk, Mall Road and Gill Road. Parking at all these lots would be free of cost.
MC accused of benefitting contractors
The Thursday auction was held amid allegations of benefitting the contractors, levelled by a Congress leader and members of Feroze Gandhi market association.
Congress leader and former councillor Parminder Mehta and members of Feroze Gandhi market association said they would take up the matter with the chief minister’s office (CMO) and if needed, would also move the high court.
MC officials have been accused of putting extra burden on residents by increasing the parking fee and benefiting contractors by reducing the reserve price of lots. The reserve price for parking lot at Model Town extension has been reduced from ₹40 lakh to ₹10 lakh, for BRS Nagar parking, it has been reduced from ₹25 lakh to ₹10 lakh and for Bhadaur House lot, the reserve price has gone down to ₹15 lakh from previous ₹25 lakh. The area of Bhadaur House lot has also been reduced.
Chairman of Feroze Gandhi market association, Col Harjap Singh (retd), said the MC did not mark a fire lane (used by fire brigade) before auctioning the lots. “As a result, the contractor will again let the vehicles park on road and fire lanes, which would lead to traffic jams,” he added.
On the parking app, he said as monthly passes could not be issued through the app, contractors would find a way to fleece the visitors.
(MC Commissioner’s quote awaited)
Auction blows lid off ‘connivance’ of MC, contractors
The auction bids have blown the lid off the alleged connivance of MC officials and two contractor groups. Last year, terms of agreement were laid according to which. only two contractor groups were allowed to participate in the auction. After the terms were simplified this year, more contractors came forward and a significant increase was witnessed in the bids, which have been quoted by the contractors.
In 2018, a contractor, Tarlochan Singh, had complained that they were deliberately pushed out of the race by the MC, which had laid a condition in the contract that only the firm with one year of experience in running a parking lot in last three years would be able to participate in the auction.
Erring contractors allotted lots
The lots of Bhadaur House and multi-storey parking have been allotted to erring contractors. Bhadaur House went to Jugnu and Company, while multi-story has gone to LRY contractors.
The MC had in November last year conducted raids at three parking lots and caught contractors overcharging the visitors at Feroze Gandhi market, Bhadaur House and Mall Road. Jugnu enterprises was found overcharging at Feroze Gandhi market and Bhadaur House, and Arjun Yadav and Company was caught fleecing the visitors at Mall Road parking. The MC had also terminated their contracts. Repeated complaints against LRY company of fleecing visitors at the multi-storey parking lot had also poured in.
One of the MC officials said most of the contractors who had participated in the auction were supported by Congress leaders and councillors. The participants included Rama Radha enterprises, LRY contractors, Sonu enterprises, Jugnu and Company, Arsh Enterprises, Luthra Enterprises, Deepak Madaan, Manmohan Singh and Arjun Yadav and company. Many of these companies are owned by same contractors, who were earlier running the MC parking lots.
