Will file PIL against double parking rates for non-Tricity vehicles: AAP

Chhabra said the decision to charge double the fee is “completely against the public interest. Administrator Banwarilal Purohit should intervene in the matter and cancel the proposal. There is no such system anywhere in the country where twice the parking fee is charged from vehicles that come from outside.”

“Thousands of people in the Tricity have vehicles registered in other states. In Chandigarh itself, there are hundreds of residents who hail from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand whose vehicles are registered in their native states,” he added.

Chhabra questioned Mayor Anup Gupta and asked how such a decision could be passed without any discussion. “How reasonable would it feel if double the parking fee was charged from Chandigarh residents who live in other states? This decision of the municipal corporation creates discrimination among the general public. How can two different rates be charged for the same type of car in the same parking lot? This decision of the Municipal Corporation is completely wrong and a group of citizens is challenging it before the court as a PIL,” he said.

The AAP leader said the “Mayor should first get the corporation’s parking scam investigated”. “If he is so serious about the corporation and the city, he should take strict action against the culprits to compensate for the loss of Rs 6 crore to the corporation. By taking decisions like doubling the parking fee, an attempt is being made to cover up the scams in the corporation so that the attention of the public can be diverted,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, in his letter to the UT Administrator, stated that “Chandigarh Municipal Corporation’s unilateral decision of giving a formal nod to levy double parking fee on vehicles coming from Punjab under parking lots in Chandigarh, is prima facie discriminatory.” He said that the decision affects all Punjabis commuting on a daily basis to Chandigarh to “make a living, study, and get medical treatment or for other chores.”

“Chandigarh is the capital of the state and it is absolutely unjust that the people of Punjab pay double the price for parking their vehicles on their visit to the capital city. It’s not the first time that the BJP has wilfully attempted to undermine Punjab’s claim over Chandigarh. Earlier, the allotment of land for a separate Vidhan Sabha building for Haryana and now the increased parking rates for vehicles from Punjab smacks of a clear conspiracy on the part of the BJP to dilute Punjab’s rights,” Warring said in the letter.

SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema too wrote to Purohit slamming the civic body’s “discriminatory” move. Seeking land means the mayor admits that dumping grounds be shifted

AAP councillor Prem Lata on Sunday issued a statement that the “Mayor seeking land from Punjab and Haryana for Chandigarh’s garbage” is a clear admission that Mayor wants the dumping ground to be shifted from Dadumajra.

“As Mayor is seeking land from Punjab and Haryana….it clearly reflects that he too agrees that dumping ground should not be in Dadumajra and should be shifted. Even then why did he approve of a plant in Dadumajra?” AAP’s Prem lata said.