PANJIM: The restarting of pay parking in the capital city has come under severe criticism with some of the city fathers demanding stern action against the contractor following complaints of boards with fee rates being erased and tourists fleeced.
CCP Councillor Nelson Cabral said that the contractor was marring the image of the State and should be arrested for fleecing public by charging excess fees. The CCP Commissioner should initiate criminal proceedings by lodging a complaint against the contractor after collecting evidence. The Commissioner should also terminate the contract if the contractor is found guilty. The contractor should not be forgiven if he has failed to abide by terms and conditions in the agreement.
Councillor Pramay Mainkar claimed that the pay parking had brought a system and discipline in the city. Now whether the rate is to be revised will be decided by the CCP. The residents should be given passes on a 100 per cent basis and that such a demand was made during the CCP meeting.
Councillor Vasant Aghshikar said that the pay parking had not benefited people of Panjim. It had taken money from the people’s pocket. What was required in the city was a dedicated parking space.
“The pay parking is not serving any purpose. I have been demanding that it is not required. It is giving revenue to the CCP but it is at the cost of taxing the public people,” he said recalling that in December 2022, he had written to the Commissioner demanding to waive off pay parking charges across Panjim till road infrastructure was put in place. The dug up roads was causing inconvenience to public,”he said.
Former Mayor and councillor Surendra Furtado said, “Nobody has brought a complaint before me regarding fees. I should not be wrong. Somebody should come with proof. If there is any evidence then that must be sent to the Mayor and CCP Commissioner and they should be asked why they are not taking any action.”
Another former Mayor and councillor Uday Madkaikar demanded erection of proper boards having a fee chart. “There should be proper marking as there all are compulsory things as per the agreement. The parking area must be notified and people should find a place to park their vehicles. Boards with a proper rate chart is important as it will help people, both locals and tourists, to know how much is to be paid for parking their vehicles.”
Deputy Mayor Sanjiv Naik said that councillors were consulted when the decision was taken. The fee collection was stopped till May 31 due to ongoing Smart City works and in the interest of the public. The contractor was asked not to collect fees. He said that notice has been issued to the contractor to put up new board with pay parking fees in the city.
Councillor Joel Andrade demanded that pay parking fee collection should be stopped till the Smart City works are completed. The CCP allowed restarting of paying for parking without taking councillors into confidence. The CCP’s job was to reduce the problem’s common man. Pay parking fee collection was not supposed to start unless the entire work was complete.”
Panjim resident Kedar Naik said, “Pay parking is good for the touristic places for revenue generation point of view but the city like Panjim where buildings and structures are almost 20-30 years old where internal roads are narrow, there is not space for parking. The residents are facing hardships. “If I have to go to market in the rain I have no option other than taking a vehicle. On Atmaram Borkar road, residents park vehicles on the road. Now suddenly you are told that you will have to pay for parking then it pinches. We are residents and we know what the pain is. Pay parking is a pain for residents. If it is a source of revenue generation then it must be seen how it is being used.”
