THE first-ever parking policy by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), which was supposed to be implemented from February, is unlikely to become a reality till May, as the election code of conduct may come into effect anytime now, said civic officials. But civic activists said the BJP-led PCMC does not want to take any chances by implementing the parking policy months before the Lok Sabha elections and drawing protests from local residents. Tenders for the parking policy will be floated in the next three to four days, but it will be opened only after the election code of conduct is lifted, Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar told The Indian Express. “By the time the tender submission date gets over, the election code of conduct is likely to be in force. So, we will keep everything ready, but will open the tenders only after the code is lifted,” he said. Hardikar said after the tenders are floated, there is a 21-day time limit for submission of bids. “We feel that the code may take effect by that time.therefore the policy implementation is likely to be postponed till May,” he said. Last year, PCMC officials had said the parking policy would be rolled out in February. “There were certain issues and queries which I raised with our officials. I wanted more suggestions, proper plans and inputs to effectively implement the policy. It has taken us time to float the tenders, which will be done in the next few days,” said the PCMC chief. The PCMC corporators also fear protests from local residents, said civic activist Maruti Bhapkar. “The BJP-ruled PCMC fears that local residents will get annoyed with the parking policy, as Pimpri-Chinchwad has never heard of any such measure. The BJP corporators don’t want to face protests from local residents so close to the Lok Sabha elections. And that’s why I think they have decided to keep it on hold,” he said. The policy envisages parking charges based on higher demand for parking in a particular area. The areas have been divided into various zones, from Zone A to Zone D, with the former having the highest charges. Hardikar has said the parking policy will initially cover highways and key locations and after two years, internal roads will be made part of it. The policy will cover all BRTS roads, Pimpri camp, Bhosarigaon, Nashik Phata flyover, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Kasarwadi, Akurdi railway station area, Dehu Alandi Road, Pradhikaran area, Bhumkar Chowk and KSB Chowk. According to the civic administration, the parking policy was needed in view of the rapid growth in population and the increasing number of vehicles in the industrial city. “The population of Pimpri-Chinchwad has doubled between 2001 and 2017. In 2001, the population was 10.64 lakh, which by 2017 stood at 21 lakh. Similarly, during this same period, the number of vehicles increased from 2.1 lakh to 15.68 lakh. There are 11.69 lakh two-wheelers and 2.54 lakh four-wheelers registered with the RTO. A total of 21 lakh residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad have 16 lakh vehicles, which is aggravating the traffic situation by the day,” said the civic administration. The PCMC’s parking policy has, however, drawn flak from local residents, who have argued that the civic body has not paid attention to the narrow internal roads, which are used for parking by all kinds of vehicles. Civic activists said internal roads in gaothan areas — in Dapodi, Phugewadi, Kasarwadi, Pimpri, Chinchwad and Bhosari — have become a source of contention. “People who do not have parking space freely park their vehicles on the narrower roads, creating major inconvenience.,” said a civic activist.
