Parking peeve: NDMC forced to defer 1 August rate hike plan
29 July 2013 10:37 PM GMT
Parking contractors in the city have successfully managed to defer the implementation of hiked parking charges in the area under New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
The council was to implement hiked parking rates from 1 August, but said it has decided to defer effecting the hike as no private entity participated in the tender process for operating the parking lots under revised rates.
The council had invited fresh bids for the parking sites. The last day for submitting the bids was 23 July. But not even a single bid was received. The three years contract for the parking operators had expired on 31 March, but the council had extended their contracts on the old rates, till the new rates came into force. But now, after successfully sabotaging the effort of the council to enter into fresh contracts as per the revised parking rates, the contractors have automatically got another contract extension as per old parking rates for another two months.
'As no bids were received for the revised rates, we have no option but to defer its implementation,' said a spokesperson for NDMC. He further added that the council will now have to float fresh tenders which takes a couple of months. NDMC had invited fresh bidding to allocate parking sites located in posh Connaught Place, India Gate, Malcha Marg, Ashoka Hotel, Sarojini Nagar, Rail Museum, and Palika Bhawan.
Presently four private operators, Pintu, Mohinder Kumar Chopra, Urban Solutions and K S Chauhan, are holding parking contracts for the 41 authorised parking sites in the NDMC area.
NDMC officials, however, blamed the high reserve rate for the lack of response from contractors. Parking operators agree. 'NDMC had given us a reserve price and told us not to bid below 97 lakh which is a huge amount for us,’ said a contractor. The contractors also complained about the ‘high security deposit’ they have to pay to NDMC for running the parking sites.
The civic body had recently approved the recommendations of the special task force (STF) appointed by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor to hike parking rates significantly with an aim to discourage use of private vehicles and decongest various roads in the Connaught Place and other busy areas of the capital.
According to the revised rates, parking in NDMC areas would come to Rs 20 for the first hour and would go up by Rs 20 for each subsequent hour, with the maximum being Rs 100 for four-wheeler owners. The current rate is Rs 10 for the first two hours.
The council was to implement hiked parking rates from 1 August, but said it has decided to defer effecting the hike as no private entity participated in the tender process for operating the parking lots under revised rates.
The council had invited fresh bids for the parking sites. The last day for submitting the bids was 23 July. But not even a single bid was received. The three years contract for the parking operators had expired on 31 March, but the council had extended their contracts on the old rates, till the new rates came into force. But now, after successfully sabotaging the effort of the council to enter into fresh contracts as per the revised parking rates, the contractors have automatically got another contract extension as per old parking rates for another two months.
'As no bids were received for the revised rates, we have no option but to defer its implementation,' said a spokesperson for NDMC. He further added that the council will now have to float fresh tenders which takes a couple of months. NDMC had invited fresh bidding to allocate parking sites located in posh Connaught Place, India Gate, Malcha Marg, Ashoka Hotel, Sarojini Nagar, Rail Museum, and Palika Bhawan.
Presently four private operators, Pintu, Mohinder Kumar Chopra, Urban Solutions and K S Chauhan, are holding parking contracts for the 41 authorised parking sites in the NDMC area.
NDMC officials, however, blamed the high reserve rate for the lack of response from contractors. Parking operators agree. 'NDMC had given us a reserve price and told us not to bid below 97 lakh which is a huge amount for us,’ said a contractor. The contractors also complained about the ‘high security deposit’ they have to pay to NDMC for running the parking sites.
The civic body had recently approved the recommendations of the special task force (STF) appointed by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor to hike parking rates significantly with an aim to discourage use of private vehicles and decongest various roads in the Connaught Place and other busy areas of the capital.
According to the revised rates, parking in NDMC areas would come to Rs 20 for the first hour and would go up by Rs 20 for each subsequent hour, with the maximum being Rs 100 for four-wheeler owners. The current rate is Rs 10 for the first two hours.
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