Panjim: Realizing that it is losing out on revenue, the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) has decided to re-introduce pay parking system in the city, until the time, the traffic management plan under Smart City Mission is in place.
The pay parking system introduced in the city by CCP in 2016 was discontinued in 2017 after the expiry of the contract awarded to Straight Deal Services. The system failed to bring any discipline to the city’s chaotic and mismanaged traffic and the CCP lost revenue to the tune of over Rs 24 lakhs due to non-payment by the contractor.
During the recently held Council meeting, the former CCP Commissioner IAS Ajit Roy proposed to re-introduce the pay-parking system at 18 designated spot.
He said that irrespective of the traffic management plan that would be drafted by Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL), the Corporation should re-launch the pay parking system as it is losing out on revenue.
Roy had raised his doubts over the time period the IPSCDL will take to draft the plan and to then implement it.
IPSCDL had proposed to create and manage 4,000 parking spaces between Old Goa and Dona Paula using latest technology, almost a year back. However, no steps have been taken in that direction.
The pay-parking system of the Corporation has always metwith controversies. After lack of response from the contractors for nearly two years, in 2016 the contract was awarded to Margao based Straight Deal Services but they failed to make payment of Rs 24 lakhs to the corporation.
The contractor claimed that they failed to get the required revenue owing to CCP failure to demarcate parking areas with signages.
