New proposed parking fees: 4-wheelers to pay Rs 20 to Rs 50 in Chandigarh

In the new slabs proposed by the civic body for “smart parking”, the first 10 minutes would be free which meant that there would be no charge if the vehicle enters the parking lot and exits within 10 minutes. The smart parking means it will have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, automatic ticket machines, pay stations, Point of Sale (POS) terminals, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera, among others. There are 91 parking lots.

For a four-wheeler (non-commercial), that is, a car and three-wheelers (commercial) – from 10 minutes to 240 minutes (which is 4 hours), the rate proposed is Rs 20; from 240 minutes to 480 minutes, that is, from 4 hours to 8 hours, the charge proposed is Rs 25. From 480 minutes to 1,440 minutes, that is, from more than 8 hours to 24 hours, the charge would be Rs 10 for every hour. The day pass proposed for multiple entries for 12 hours would be Rs 50 for a day.

For mini bus/service jeep/cab/taxi/LCV, from 10 minutes to 240 minutes, that is, up to four hours, the parking charge proposed is Rs 30; from 240 minutes to 480 minutes, that is, from 4 hours to 8 hours the rate proposed is Rs 35. From more than 480 minutes to 1,440 minutes, it would be Rs 15 per hour and the daily pass, that is, multiple entries for 12 hours would be Rs 100. The monthly pass parking charge for a non-commercial vehicle would be Rs 500 and commercial one would be Rs 1,000.

A commuter who pays the parking charge by cash will have to pay Rs 5 extra. It’s for the first time this provision has been introduced in order to encourage digital payment. For example – if a four-wheeler pays Rs 20 by cash, he will have to pay Rs 5 on top of it as additional charges, that is, he will ultimately end up paying Rs 25.

A senior officer of the Chandigarh civic body said that this provision has been made to ensure digital payments. “It will be an escrow account and MC will operate it. With digital payments, all frauds like overcharging or undercharging can be avoided,” the officer said while speaking to The Indian Express.

For parking near Elante and Fun Republic malls, a hiked rate has been proposed. For cars, from 0 to 240 minutes, a parking fee of Rs 90 has been proposed; from more than 240 minutes to 480 minutes, a parking fee of Rs 150 is proposed; while from more than 480 minutes to 1,440 minutes, the charge proposed is Rs 20 per hour. For parking near the Piccadily mall, for cars, from 0 to 240 minutes, a parking fee of Rs 50 has been proposed; from more than 240 minutes to 480 minutes, the parking fee of Rs 70 is proposed; while from more than 480 minutes to 1,440 minutes, the charge proposed is Rs 20 per hour.

The proposed features state that “all types of two-wheelers, including electric vehicles, shall be exempted from parking fee, that is, they shall be allowed to park free of cost from the date of establishment of smart parking features at parking sites approved by the authority”. Also, “all types of electric four-wheelers shall be exempted from parking fee, that is, they shall be allowed to park free of cost up to March 31, 2027, in earmarked space in a parking lot. Thereafter, prevailing fees shall be applicable.” An important clause introduced this time is “for cash payment of parking fees, an additional Rs 5 will be levied as cash handling charges for non-commercial vehicle and an additional Rs 10 will be levied as cash handling charges for commercial vehicle”.

Hike of Rs 10 in every slab after 3 financial years

It was also proposed that there shall be an increase of Rs 10 in every slab after every three financial years for all categories of vehicles except monthly pass fees.

An increment of Rs 400 on monthly pass fees shall be added at the end of each three financial years for all categories of commercial vehicles from the date of notification of parking fees, it was proposed. It was also stated that monthly pass holders shall be provided parking on first-cum, first served basis, that is, no space shall be reserved for monthly pass holder and the monthly pass holder and day pass holder shall not be applicable to parking lots adjoining Piccadily Multiplex I and Piccadlly Multiplex II, Elante Mall, Fun Republic.