WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: For the prevailing pay-parking system across 12 notified stretches in Panjim that began on February 15, 2020, the Corporation of The City of Panaji (CCP) has been encashing post-dated cheques every month till date.
In February 2020, CCP had signed a 1.6 crore contract with the contractor, Juwarkar Associates, who deposited a Rs 96 lakh as bank guarantee (60% of the bidding amount), Rs 16 lakh deposit (10% of the bidding amount) and 36 post dated cheques; all of which amounts to approximately Rs 1.12crore that CCP had secured at the time of implementation.
This Phase-1 contract was for February 2020 to February 14, 2020 wherein the contractor had to pay Rs 4.5 lakh per month plus a monthly GST amount of Rs 81,000 (9% CGST plus 9% SGST). Thus, cheques for Rs 5, 31,000 were received every month until the first week of December.
On December 7, 2020 a new Phase-II contract was signed which would last until December 6, 2025. Here, the contractor pays Rs 4,40,000 per month and the monthly GST amount of Rs 79,200, which sums up to Rs 5,19,200 per month.
Presently CCP has received the latest cheque for the month of June 2021.
Former Panjim Mayor Uday Madkaikar under whose tenure this scheme was implemented said that the revenue generated was used for various development works. The present deputy Mayor of Panjim, Vasant Agshikar said, “The money collected is used for routine expenditure, purchases and development.”
Agshikar further added that there are no immediate plans to change the pay parking rates charged to commuters.
It is to be noted that CCP had refunded the contractor a total of Rs 6 lakh last year after the 45-day lockdown period. Panjim Mayor Rohit Monserrate indicated that CCP doesn’t have plans to refund any sum of money to the contract due to the ongoing curfew period.
Madkaikar justified the ‘high’rates, saying that it has brought in traffic discipline and that there are cheaper monthly passes for regular users.
It may be recalled that in the past, the CCP had issues with the previous contractor, Straight Deal Services, who failed to pay Rs 24.75 lakh to CCP, following which the then parking scheme was discontinued.
