End to Brigade Road parking controversy ?

End to Brigade Road parking controversy ?

Staff Reporter
BBMP extends tender application deadline to July 31
BBMP removes the clause on experience

Traders association keen on getting the contract

Bangalore: There seems to be a way out of the Brigade Road parking imbroglio with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) extending the tender application deadline to maintain the parking to July 31 and removing the clause that the bidder should have at least three years experience of operating metered parking.

Applications
Earlier, several parking contractors who had bought the applications for the tender cried foul and claimed to have had no idea about the requirement.

The contractors alleged that the clause about the requirement had been added only to favour the Brigade’s Shops and Establishments’ Association (BSEA), which recently was regulating metered parking on the road.

The applicants claimed that the clause related to financial capability was high as they were required to submit a solvency certificate of Rs. 50 lakh.

When contacted, Suhail Yusuf of BSEA maintained that the metered parking system introduced by them was transparent and foolproof.

Business
“Parking should be a facility and not a business. Also, we have the experience of maintaining the system. We believe that only experienced people will be able to take it further. However, the allegations that BBMP had included the clause to favour the association are baseless,” he said.

He said that the Department of Urban Development had written to the BBMP in May last year directing the civic authority to do away with the tender process for parking and invite the traders’ association to take up the parking scheme on a few prominent roads in the city. “We recently met the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Commissioner and showed him the letter.”

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Commissioner Bharat Lal Meena said that the civic authority was relaxing the conditions to give more scope to other applicants.

“We cannot deny that metered and controlled parking is a requirement. We are looking at various other issues involved with parking,” he said.