I DRAW the railways minister’s attention to Peshawar where the railway staff, have given away pieces of land to locals to construct illegal crossings, parkings and other businesses with no income accruing to the railways.

One such parking has been constructed next to a maternity hospital in University Town. The parking attendant charges Rs50 per car per visit, while he would not show any ID or contract details. He would use ticket stubs that had the Peshawar Development Authority’s or Pakistan Railways’ name.

The government should become strict about the use of state land and roadsides for vehicle parking. A parking fee is a precious revenue stream for the local government and should be regulated.

Every contracted parking lot should display the contractor’s name and licence number besides the rate of parking charges. The authority that allots the parking licence should have an online database of these details.

Engr Shahryar Khan Baseer
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2018