Pune: The civic administration of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come up with a public parking policy for the city. According to a feature of the policy, people will have to pay to park their vehicles along any public roads across the city.
The civic body has proposed a minimum Rs 10 to Rs 20 per hour parking charge for two-wheelers, while Rs 50 to Rs 100 per hour for four-wheelers. The municipal commissioner submitted the policy document to the Standing Committee on Friday.
While proposing the policy, the PMC has fixed rates for all vehicles, including two-wheelers. Only ambulances, special person vehicles and bicycles have been exempted from parking charges. At the implementation level, the city will be divided into three zones, each allotted to a contractor. Every contractor will have an A, B or C category parking zone allotted on demand of parking. It is estimated that in Zone A, there is less than 60 per cent of parking demand, zone B has demand for parking between 60 to 80 per cent whereas zone C has over 80 per cent. The rates will vary based on these zones.
Night parking charges will be Rs 50 per day (from 10 pm to 8 am). In the congested Peth areas, it has proposed Rs 25 per day for night parking (from 10 pm to 8 am). In slum areas, it has been suggested to charge Rs 12.50 per day for night parking. The civic body has also suggested a fine for violation of parking rules for night parking, which includes anti-encroachment charges.
If anyone parks their vehicles on a footpath, a cycle track or in bicycle parking areas, they will be charged a fine of Rs 2,500. The policy will ensure transparency and that all parking receipts will be electronically generated.
Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar has said in the policy that this is a comprehensive parking policy for the city which will help boost revenue as well as discourage citizens from using private vehicles. It will also help to push people to use the public transport system.
The number of private vehicles is growing rapidly in the city. Around 500 to 700 new vehicles are coming on the road. At this rate, the PMC will have to make available around 1 to 1.5 lakh of parking lots per year. It is difficult due to space crunch in.
A senior official of the traffic management department said, “According to the policy, no one can park their vehicles for free along public roads. The PMC will depute a contractor to collect parking charges from vehicle owners. It will help to boost revenue as well as encourage people to use public transport.”
There were mixed reactions from civil society to the parking policy. Civic activist Vivek Velankar said, “Before implementing the parking policy, the should improve public transport. Private vehicles have increased due to a lack of public transport. The PMC is responsible for increasing private vehicles. How has it suddenly realised that vehicles are increasing? The PMC cannot make it mandatory to pay parking charges without making adequate arrangements.”
Pune Pravasi Manch founder Jugal Rathi said, “Time has come to charge parking fees for private vehicles. However, the PMC should spread awareness among people before implementing it. They should give sufficient time to understand the policy. The PMC should persuade people to support the policy.”
