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Corporations/ Associations/ Others | Karnataka - India | PID: 185943
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Eager to implement the pay-and-park system on two commercial thoroughfares in the city’s Central Business District (CBD) – D Devaraj Urs Road and Ashoka Road – the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is making a last-ditch effort to invite tenders from private contractors for the project. Although the civic agency has been trying to get private contractors interested in the project for nearly a year now, it appears as though the latter are not as keen on it
Sources in the MCC said that the agency would wait till March, before taking a final decision on the issue. “We will wait till March, and if the private contractors continue to snub us, the MCC is ready to implement the system,” a source said
MCC has chosen D Devaraja Urs Road and Ashoka Road, two commercial lanes in the heart of the city, where finding parking spots is a near nightmarish experience for consumers. Citizens’ pet peeve is that shopkeepers, and employees park their vehicles along the sides of the road, leaving no space for the consumers’ automobiles. The problem is further compounded by the fact that both the thoroughfares are one-way roads, and one finds vehicles parked on both sides of the road
Meanwhile, traffic movement on the stretch of Ashoka Road between Nehru Circle and Silver Jubilee Clock Tower (Dodda Gadiyara) is further hampered by a thin strip being designated for parking. The situation on D Devaraja Urs Road is no different. Filled to the brim during weekends, double parking is commonplace, reducing vehicular movement to a crawl
Albert, a computer technician, said that he struggled to find parking space for his two-wheeler on both Devaraja Urs and Ashoka roads. “Earlier, they would cover their vehicles, but following objections raised by concerned citizens, they have put a stop to this practice. We think that implementing the pay-and-park system will solve this problem,” Albert told
MCC has floated tenders five times in the past two years for implementation to set up, and subsequently maintain a pay-and-park system on these two roads, but to the chagrin of the civic agency’s administration, these tenders have elicited no response. “All the contractors appear to have come together, and unitedly refusing to submit bids,” an MCC officer said
On the other hand, private agencies want the MCC to include the alleys and bylanes crisscrossing D Devaraja Urs Road in the contract, pointing out that it would otherwise be an economically unviable exercise for them. The MCC’s insistence on an electronic ticket-vending machine is the other reason why they are hesitant to submit bids
MCC superintending engineer GR Suresh said that private contractors had assured the agency of their participation, prompting the civic body to invite tenders for a sixth time. “We have been inviting tenders since October 2016. There is nothing stopping us from managing the system by ourselves. If contractors refuse to respond again, we will definitely take a decision on this score,” said Suresh
Sources said that MCC wanted to charge parking fees by the hour – Rs 5 for two-wheelers in the first hour and Rs 10 for four-wheelers. They will respectively be levied Rs 3 and Rs 5 every subsequent hour. D Devaraja Urs Road can accommodate nearly 230 cars and 1,000 bikes or scooters
| Updated on: 23 - Feb - 2019
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