Pay-and-park scheme in limbo

Pay-and-park scheme in limbo
Council Divided Over Implementing The Plan Before End Of Tenure
The Times of India

Bangalore: The one civic issue plaguing Bangaloreans — pay-and-park — still remains in limbo. For the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council is adamant on ensuring that the scheme is not implemented before their tenure is over.
On Monday, at the penultimate meeting of BMP, corporators fought over non-implementation of the scheme despite a government order clearly stating that pay-and-park return with immediate effect. BMP commissioner K Jairaj informed that tenders had been called for parking contractors at 13 arterial roads across Bangalore. “This is only for surface parking. There is also a suggestion to have metered parking like Brigade Road, Commercial Street. We have identified 13 different roads.”
Within minutes of his announcement, mayor Mumtaz Begum struck it down saying, “The BMP Council has taken a decision on cancelling the pay-andpark scheme. Therefore we will not re-introduce it. Cancel the tenders for it.”
A furore broke out in the Council with allegations and counter-allegations flying through. Ironically, the Congress corporators kicked up a ruckus blaming the existing ruling government for not approving the resolution of pay-and-park. Whereas, it was the Dharam Singh-lead government that had struck down the payand-park scheme.
Sources, however, say that the scheme would be re-introduced soon after the tenure of the present BMP Council — November end.
Poster zone: Taking note of the glut of posters across the city, the Council decided to have a ‘poster zone’ in every zone where film distributors could put up posters. The BMP has written to political parties asking them to take permission before putting up posters, banners across the city and defiling them.
Another decision was taken on pulling down all publicity material across all wards in the city and calling for new tenders. This could also adhere to the newly-approved advertisement bye-laws, said BMP officials.