LAHORE, June 8: Parking a car along Gulberg’s Main Boulevard and at the airport costs the same but the contractor at the latter place does not demand double the charges after two hours.

Elsewhere in the Punjab capital, contractors have doubled the parking fee at and around almost all commercial centres.

A survey of different city areas revealed on Wednesday that contractors have been charging at least Rs10 and Rs20 for a motorcycle and car, respectively. Near Hafeez Centre on Gulberg’s main boulevard, the parking fee has been Rs30 for two hours only – a condition not imposed by the contractor at the airport where the charges are the same.

Interestingly, contractors at Court Street -- a few yards away from Commissioner’s Office on Dev Samaj Road -- besides Kashmir Road -- adjacent to Lahore Development Authority’s main complex on Egerton Road -- were found charging Rs20 a vehicle like private hospitals at Jail and Zafar Ali roads, along Lahore Canal and DHA.

However, the contractors at Jinnah Hall and District Courts were charging according to the agreements they had with the CDGL in July last year. According to the terms of the agreements, the contractors were bound to charge Rs5 for a motorcycle and Rs10 for a car.

Employees operating the metered parking system at Neela Gumbad of Anarkali and Iqbal Town’s Moon Market told this reporter that the charges for first hour were Rs10 while another Rs5 were being added after each next hour.

“For the whole day, the charges are Rs50 and for a week Rs200. Charges for local traders and shopkeepers are Rs20 per day.

Motorcycles are exempted from computerised parking fee,” said an operator at Anarkali.

An official of the CDGL said that through open biding contracts were awarded for roads under control of the city government. “Parking stands elsewhere have been and are the responsibility of the town municipal administrations concerned and the CDGL has nothing to do with them. Furthermore, the parking lot in question has been set up on a private land,” maintained the official who wished not to be named.