LAHORE, Aug 10: The City District Government has approached the city police chief for action after refusal by traffic police to remove illegal parking areas from certain places in Lahore.

The CDG had asked the traffic SSP last month to remove illegal parkings at the railway station, Niazi Chowk, Data Darbar, Bhati, and in the vicinity of the Minar-i-Pakistan.

It had also conveyed him that the entire traffic system in these areas was badly disrupted and required special attention to purge them of illegal parking. But no action has so far been taken by the traffic police.

The CDG then requested the CPC to take action against illegal parkings as the traffic police failed to respond to its numerous complaints.

“The traffic police continue to allow the illegal act which clearly shows that the illegal parkings have been functioning under their patronage,” a senior CDG official said.

Traffic SSP Aziz Malik was not available for comments.

The CDG official told this reporter on Friday that those involving in illegal parking business were too strong to be tackled. He alleged that they bribed the traffic police personnel and the CDG officials as well. He said unless a sincere effort was initiated by the traffic police, the menace of illegal parking would continue.

Besides, a number of other illegal parking stands have been functioning in league with the CDG and traffic police officials on Hall Road, Gulberg’s Main Boulevard, Link Model Town Road, Barkat Market in Garden Town and other parts of the city. Illegal parking stands have also been established outside various plazas and shops in the city.

Most of contractors have been charging twice the prescribed parking fee which is Rs5 for a car and Rs3 for a motorcycle. Signboards have not been fixed at most of the parking stands either.

It is also learnt that the CDG officials also help their favourite contractors in getting the contracts of important places and impede any move to inspect them.

There have been reports about further subletting of parking contracts on a daily basis. The practice helps contractors make extra money.

It may, however, be mentioned that contractors are extorting around Rs50 million from the motorists in the form of fee every year.

Parking fee collection has become a lucrative business and the contractors can easily extort a few hundred and even a few thousand rupees from the motorists daily at any suitable parking place by securing a contract or by declaring it a parking stand on their own.

Parking stands have become a potential source of income not only for the CDG and town administrations but for government departments like the Pakistan Railways, the Accountant General’s Office and the Civil Aviation Authority. —Zulqernain Tahir