Contractors’ stand led to parking ban order

Contractors’ stand led to parking ban order
The contractors of JC Road multi-storeyed parking complex wanted the areas surrounding it to be decla-red a ‘no-parking’ zone.

Deccan Herald

Bangalore: Why is it that the multi-storeyed parking complex at J C Road, that remained an empty building for many months, has now been thrown open to public? As it turns out, the contractor agreed to open it only after the traffic police announced that certain stretches of J C Road will be made into a no-parking zone. In fact, even the police decision was a result of lobbying by the contractor, who feared loss of business if free parking was allowed on the road sides.

N Ramakrishna, the private contractor to whom BMP has entrusted the responsibility ofmonitoring and collecting parking fees at the complex six months ago, told Deccan Herald that he had to put a condition in his agreement with the BMP to ensure banning of parking on the roads connecting Minerva Circle and J C Road.

The Traffic Police announced a ban on traffic on two stretches — Lalbagh West Gate to Minerva Circle, and, Poornima Theatre Junction to Shivaji Junction (JC Road) — beginning October 24.

But Ramakrishna and Venkatesh (his partner in whose name the tender has been awarded) wants the ban to be extended to four other roads — A M Lane, Canara Bank Head Office Road, Siddaiah Road and Journalists’ Colony Road. “To increase the utility of the parking complex, we have requested the BMP authorities and traffic police to ban parking on the five roads connecting Minerva Circle and JC Road. Otherwise, the business will not work for us,” Mr Ramakrishnan said.

Meanwhile, BMP in-charge Chief Engineer P K Srihari said they have received the request to extend no-parking to five roads and will forward it to the traffic police. However, the high parking rate could work against road users. While other parking places charge Rs 2 and Rs 5 for two-three hours parking, the complex charges the same amount for one hour.



KEMPEGOWDA PARKING LOT CHARGES

Vehicle Time Parking charges

Two-wheeler First 3hrs Rs 2

Four-wheeler First 3 hrs Rs 2

Both Exceeding 3 hrs Additional charges et to be fixed