The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is set to roll out a revised pay and park policy in an effort to address longstanding parking challenges, following the unsuccessful implementation of the previous initiative in 2021. The civic body has decided to decentralize the management of pay and park facilities, aiming to involve zonal offices in the municipal corporation for more effective administration.
Bapusaheb Gaikwad, the executive engineer of PCMC, shared insights into the revamped strategy, stating, “Earlier, the plan was implemented by the engineering department, but now we have proposed to decentralize it and allot the work to zonal offices of the municipal corporation. Four officials from the land and estate department will be appointed to monitor the work. The proposal will be sent for final approval soon.”
The initial attempt involved awarding the contract for operating pay and park facilities at 58 locations to a single vendor, which proved unsuccessful. The revised plan aims to engage multiple agencies to manage different parking slots, with tenders for these services being floated at the ward levels.
A senior PCMC official explained the challenges faced during the earlier initiative, stating, “The previous vendor had started the facility at 40 out of 58 spots and failed to implement it well. He also suffered losses due to the pandemic. Besides, towing of vehicles from no parking zones was not happening until the civic body floated a separate tender for it. As a result, people did not opt for the pay and park facility.”
The new approach will eliminate the need for a separate tender for towing vehicles, as the Pimpri Chinchwad police commissionerate now has the required approval to take action on wrongly parked vehicles.
Gaikwad reassured the public that parking charges under the new policy will remain the same initially, and any decision to increase the charges will be considered after assessing the response. As per the current rates, two- and three-wheelers will be charged Rs5 per hour, four-wheelers Rs10 per hour, minibuses Rs25 per hour, and heavy vehicles Rs100 per hour.
