RAWALPINDI: A contractor has increased parking fee at Commercial Market without permission from the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC).

The private company was given the contract to collect fixed parking fee from vehicles.

Saif Ali, a visitor to the market, said: “Since the start of Ramazan the parking fee in the market has been increased from Rs50 to Rs100 and sometimes Rs200.”

He said when the motorists asked the contractor’s employees for a reason behind the increase, they did not have any explanation.

Another motorist, Mohammad Arshad, said the fee was increased after the rush in the main market. He said the government should take action against the contractor.

“Contractors run parking plazas while the government is sleeping,” he said.

Mohammad Akhter, a shopkeeper, said the RMC drive against encroachments was a good move but there was a need to improve the parking system.

He said the contractor was also overcharging the local traders.

When contacted, Chief Municipal Officer Imran Safdar said the RMC had not increased the parking fee. He said he would probe the matter.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2019