Pay and park: BMP still dithers

Pay and park: BMP still dithers
Deccan Herald

To have or not to have ‘pay and park’ is the raging question. However, the BMP committee that was created to study the matter is yet to find an answer. The committee, headed by Mayor Mumtaz Begum to look into the issue of reintroducing the system that was scrapped in 2005, was to submit the report by April-end. It has been over a month since then, but the issue still lies undecided.

“The committee is working on it. We have not yet arrived at a conclusion. As and when we will decide, we will make an announcement,” is all Ms Begum had to say. The committee, that has met only once in May, seems to be divided on this issue. However, the official stand of the ruling Congress is still against ‘pay and park’ scheme. “Following the change in government, we have now appealed to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy not to reintroduce the system,” revealed Deputy Mayor M Lakshminarayana. Meanwhile, sources revealed that the Mayor and a few other committee members are thinking of introducing the system in commercial areas including MG Road, Gandhinagar, K R Market and Majestic. It is also proposed to continue system on Brigade Road and Commercial Street. Residential areas like Malleswaram should not pay and park, it was suggested. The BMP is also facing pressure from the Traffic Police that are recommending introduction of the system on 174 roads. Apart from Mayor and Deputy Mayor, ruling party leader H Ravindra, JD(S) leader B R Nanjundappa and BJP leader A H Basavaraju are also members.

IN BLISSFUL IGNORANCE

Parking authority? What’s that?

It hogged headlines for a day, and was never heard of again. BMP’s ‘Bangalore Metropolitan Parking Authority’, that was listed in its budget for 2006-07, is a subject which Mayor Mumtaz Begum and Deputy Mayor M Lakshminarayana claim to be ignorant about. “I have not heard anything about the creation of a parking authority. Only a committee to look into the ‘pay and park’ system was formed in this year’s budget,” said Ms Begum.

Lakshminarayana too admitted “I don’t get it” when questioned. However, Congress leader Ravindra came across as more knowledgeable. “A parking authority was mentioned in current year’s budget following recommendations from the Tax Registration and Finance Committee, but nothing has come of it. No further decisions have been taken on this matter,” Ravindra said.