The matter came to light after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker, Mahesh Sambhus, filed an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, seeking details about the tenure of the parking contractors hired by the PMC.
The parking contractors engaged by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) at five city gardens continue to levy parking charges on four-wheeled vehicles for road-side parking facilities even after the expiry of their contracts.
The matter came to light after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker, Mahesh Sambhus, filed an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, seeking details about the tenure of the parking contractors hired by the PMC.
Replying to the query, the PMC in December 2010 admitted that the tenure of the parking contractors at the PuLa Deshpande Garden (Singhgad Road), Kamla Nehru Park (Erandwane), Peshwe Park (Sarasbaug), Chittaranjan Vatika (Model Colony) and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje Garden (Shivajinagar) had expired.
“Instead of floating tenders in time to appoint new parking contractors at these gardens, the authorities concerned allowed the existing ones to levy parking charges. We apprehend there could be a tacit understanding between the authorities and the contractors for their own vested reasons,” alleged Sambhus.
Claiming ignorance on the issue, the party leaders blamed the civic administration for not floating new tenders and allowing the parking contractors to levy parking charges on citizens even after their term expired.
Sambhus claimed that soon after he filed the RTI application, PMC officials hurriedly erected boards in the gardens informing vehicle owners not to pay any parking fees at these gardens. “When I filed the application there was no such board,” he alleged.
Sambhus said that instead of collecting the parking fee directly from citizens, the PMC floated tenders. Contractors participated in the process and the PMC awarded the contracts to those who offered maximum profit to the PMC.
Defending their stand the civic administration said that they had extended the contract of some agencies on a monthly basis. “But even then it is illegal as proper procedure has to be followed and tenders need to be floated for giving new contracts. What is the logic of extending the tenure of the existing contractors on a monthly basis,” the MNS worker questioned.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}