MMC resolves to implement pay parking in market area

MAPUSA rrThe council was also unanimous on a decision to soon convert all other key areas in Mapusa into pay-parking with the intention of bringing order in the city. rAs per the new rates, a two-wheelers will be charged Rs 5 and a four-wheelers Rs 10 for every three hours as pay-parking fees. rAccording to the council decision, the second lane in municipal market, the lane opposite taxi-stand (Aram soda line) and Channekar lane (opposite Canara bank) will be converted into pay-parking. rIt was also decided that initially municipality staff will collect the parking fees. rKick-starting the discussion on pay-parking, MMC Chairperson Rohan Kavlekar informed the council that it has two options either to start pay-parking departmentally or re-tender it to a contractor. The contractor who had earlier bagged the tender had retracted. rStressing on the need to introduce pay-parking, Market Committee Chairman Sanjay Mishal suggested the municipal staff could collect pay-parking fees on a trial rbasis . rHe also said the pay-parking fees should be increased from Rs 2 to Rs 5 for convenience of change. rOpposing the idea of involving municipal staff, former chairperson Sandip Falari quoted Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s suggestion on “minimum government, maximum governance”. r“I think we should not get involved in collection business and tendering the job to an outside agency was a better option. Secondly, there could be pilferage in revenue collection when our staff is involved and fingers will then be pointed at us,” Falari said. rSenior councillor Sudhir Kandolkar suggested that since beautification work was going on and most roads were also in bad shape, the pay-parking proposal may be deferred for some time. rRejecting the idea of putting the proposal on hold, Mishal said pay-parking in Mapusa was the need of the hour to bring about traffic discipline. r“If we don’t introduce pay parking, departmentally or through tendering process, more vendors will occupy space in the market rand it will only increase our problems in future,” Mishal said. rCouncilors Tushar Tople, Ryan Braganza and Rajsingh Rane also stressed on the need to implement pay-parking in the city. rFalari said it was important that in the long run all other key areas in Mapusa should be brought under pay parking so that people don`t make a dash to park vehicles where they wouldn’t have to pay for parking. rFinally, the council agreed to begin pay parking in areas where it was already introduced and to bring other key areas under pay parking in future.