Don't pay parking fee: BBMP

Don't pay parking fee: BBMP

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike clears the air after two days of confusion

Basavaraj Itnaal. Bangalore
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has cleared the confusion over paying parking fees in the city. Motorists do not have to pay parking fees except at the meter-charged pay-and-park facilities in the city.
The only two roads on which meter-charged parking exist now are Brigade Road and Commercial Street. Nowhere else in the city will motorists have to pay to park their vehicles in parking spaces by the road-sides.
While illegal collection of fees went on unabated despite the BBMP assuring people that they would not be charged by attendants of BBMP-licenced contractors, BBMP acting commissioner Bharat Lal Meena appealed to the people to lodge a complaint with BBMP or the Police if forced to pay by such attendants. Apart from the metered parking roads, motorists can avail parking malls where motorists can be charged on time basis, but these are run by private players.
Considering that there are severe parking constraints in Bangalore, the BBMP is also now looking at basement parking and multi-level car park (MLCP) systems using private vacant sites.
Despite assurances given by the BBMP officials, sporadic collection of parking fees continued on Sunday by individuals not under the BBMP even as traffic police kept a tight vigil on MG Road to prevent anyone from forcing motorists to pay up.
Outside Safina Plaza, Aslam stands to collect money for the parking. He appears near Safina Plaza at 5 pm everyday and collects fine in the evening. He collects Rs2 for two-wheelers and Rs5 for four-wheeler per hour.
But several motorists who regularly park their cars or two-wheelers there said he did not extort money.
Motorists voluntarily pay for the services offered by him, which includes making space for two-wheelers and guiding cars reversing into parking spaces.
A police officer from Commercial Street police station said it was better that individuals like Aslam got paid while looking after the vehicles rather than have motorists pay to attendants contracted by the BBMP, who do not keep a vigil but just collect parking fees.
Meanwhile, on MG Road, the main thourghfare of the city, traffic police kept a strict vigil to prevent parking attendants from charging motorists.On Sunday, there were no attendants collecting money for the parking of vehicles. Vidwan Sharma a two-wheeler rider said: "Usually, whenever I come here, I pay the attendants, but today there was nobody."