RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) has planned to auction parking areas on main roads in the garrison city.

A senior official of RMC told Dawn that the RMC would allow parking on roadsides at Jinnah Road commonly known City Saddar Road, Hamilton Road (Dingi Khoi), Dalgaran Bazaar, Iqbal Road and Liaquat Road.

He said the civic body would hold public hearing before auction of the roadsides for single lane parking on both sides and invite people’s suggestion through advertisement.

He said under Local Government Act, it was necessary to get the feedback from the local residents and traders of public interest project.

He said the civic body expected a good amount from the auction as it also planned to increase the parking fee from Rs20 per car to Rs50 per car and from Rs5 per motorcycle to Rs20 per motorcycle.

He said that the RMC planned to charge Rs50 from rickshaw, Rs100 from small truck and Rs150 per truck for single lane parking in Ganjmandi from Police Station to Wapda offices adjacent to Rose Cinema.

Earlier, he said there was no fee on loading and public transport as it was not allowed to park on the roadside.

He said that contractors in the city areas were already charging Rs20 per motorcycle and Rs50 from the car but we made it official so the income will land in the civic body’s accounts.

However, the local shopkeepers expressed their resentment over turning the roadsides into parking area. They said instead of constructing parking plazas, the civic body had made a wrong plan.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2020