Chandigarh mayor bats for free parking facility for two-wheelers, electric vehicles

With the municipal corporation finally set to table the Smart Parking lots project for approval beforethe House, city mayor Anup Gupta has proposed free parking for two-wheelers and electric vehicles.

If approved by the House, which is set to meet on July 25, parking for two-wheelers and electric vehicles (including four-wheelers) will be made free in all 89 parking lots in the city.

On the other hand, if approved by the House, the Smart Parking project, envisaged to provide technology driven facilities for a swift and smooth parking experience, will lead to higher parking rates for non-electric four-wheelers.

The mayor said, “I have proposed free parking for two-wheelers and electric vehicles in all Smart Parking lots. The project will be a technology-friendly initiative, with more benefits for electric vehicles (EVs).”

Currently, the civic body charges ₹7 for two-wheelers and ₹14 for four-wheelers.

Also, this will be the second EV project proposal to come up before the MC House on July 25.

The Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) of the UT administration has requested the MC to allow installation of electric vehicle charging stations and battery swapping stations at 44 MC parking lots that will also be tabled before the House for approval.

The Smart Parking project is being taken up in MC House over five months after the civic body took over the operations of city’s parking lots after the expiry of three-year agreements with private contractors.

Notably, the plan to introduce a FASTag-enabled parking management system at the 89 parking lots in the city was conceived in August last year. But the project proposal has never been tabled in the House. Introduction of FASTag would eliminate the need for physical payment of parking fee and manning of the entry points.

Other proposed features include automatic number plate recognition cameras to prevent vehicle theft and revenue loss. A mobile app is also on the cards to provide information about available parking space, along with a facility to pre-book a parking spot.

At present, attendants issue parking slips and collect payments manually at all parking lots. Smart system has been proposed in the new parking contract. Under the new system, boom barriers will open automatically when a vehicle approaches the entry point. At the time of exit, fee, based on parking duration, will be deducted through FASTag.

The camera feed will be connected to the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Sector 17.

Parking lots in the city are divided into two zones. Zone 1 comprises parking lots in the southern and eastern sectors, including Sectors 20, 26 and 34. Zone 2 includes northern areas, such as Sectors 7, 8, 9, 17, 22 and Sukhna Lake. Since February, all parking lots are being run by MC.