BJP-led MC House greenlights parking fee hike with no bumps

Proposal approved following walkout by Congress and AAP; will come into effect only after rollout of Smart Parking project

- Mandeep Kaur Narula

CHANDIGARH: In a discussion free of any roadblocks or opposition, the BJP-led House of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) on Wednesday breezily cleared a steep hike in parking charges across the city — a move that will pick speed only after the civic body implements its Smart Parking project with public-private partnership.

The proposal zipped through in the absence of councillors from opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who had already staged a walkout after accusing the BJP of burdening residents with back-to-back tax hikes — including the recent increase in property tax and electricity cess.

With no opposition in sight, the parking fee hike went through smoothly, landing another financial jolt on city residents who are also reeling under the UT-approved rise in collector rates.

Barely a month after scrapping its long-pending Smart Parking project, citing flawed tenders, MC brought a fresh proposal to the House. A committee has already finalised groundwork for a revised Request for Proposal (RFP), with the new parking rates included.