Chandigarh civic body takes over operations of 87 parking lots in city

Chandigarh Municipal Corporation commissioner, Anindita Mira, on Tuesday said, “At least 87 parking lots were lying abandoned for the last many days. One parking company, which was manning 57 lots, failed to submit the license fee amounting to Rs 7 crore. The remaining lots were under a second company, whose contract was not renewed.  A general House meeting was held in January during which it was decided to not extend the contract of both the parking contractors.  We have hired some contractual employees for manning the 87 parking lots for now.

There are no changes in the parking fees, which were earlier notified as per the Motor Vehicles Act. We have received 173 points of sales (POS) machines from ICICI bank. The POS machines were given to the employees for collecting the parking fees.”

As per details, while four-wheelers have to pay Rs 14, two-wheelers have to pay Rs 7 for using the parking space, per hour.

Chandigarh Police on Sunday had booked two directors of one of the companies — M/s Paschatya Entertainment Private Limited — the firm that previously managed parking  57  lots in the city for allegedly committing fraud under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

The parking company directors — Sanjay Sharma and Lalita Sharma — were booked on the complaint of the superintendent (parking), Sunil Dutt. A case was registered at Sector 17 police station.

As per details, M/s Paschatya Entertainment Private Limited — the firm that previously managed parking in Chandigarh — had submitted three bank guarantees worth Rs 1.65 crore to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in lieu of parking contracts.

Interestingly, the management of Syndicate Bank (now merged with Canara Bank) had in February 2020 issued and confirmed the genuineness of the three bank guarantees (amounting to a total of Rs 1,65,33,333) of the company to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

These guarantees, later however,  were rejected by Canara Bank when the municipal corporation tried to encash the same after the parking company failed to submit their license fee of Rs 7 crore for 57 parking lots on February 3 this year. Subsequently, a police case for fraud was filed.

Lens on former HCS officer

Chandigarh civic body commissioner Aninidta Mitra said,  “A former Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer, who had joined Chandigarh municipality on deputation and was serving in Chandigarh when the bank guarantees were submitted by the parking contractor company in 2020, will face departmental action for lapses. The HCS officer has since retired. We will write to the Haryana government about him. Other municipality employees, who were accountable to examine the submitted bank guarantees by M/s Paschatya Entertainment Private Ltd, are still working. We will fix accountability and take strict departmental action against them.”

Sources said that the HCS officer in question had come on a three-year deputation in 2019.