LAHORE: The “confusion” over revenue sharing and some operational matters pertaining to more than 20 potential and troublesome parking sites in the city mars the collaboration between the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) and the Lahore Parking Company (LPC), emboldening the existing operators who are fleecing the vehicle owners.

The CDGL is yet to take an effective action on a reference sent to it by the LPC about four months back seeking handing over of 21 sites, while the LPC is allegedly not following the terms and conditions—especially with regard to revenue sharing with the CDGL, Dawn has learnt.

The reference was moved by the LPC to CDGL keeping in view the increasing public complaints related to massive overcharging, misbehaviour of sites operators and traffic mess created by the “parking mafia”.

According to a senior CDGL official, some 250 parking lots have already been handed over to the LPC, and the employees concerned of the town municipal administrations (TMAs) are trying hard to retrieve the troublesome and potential sites and hand them over to the company.

“Since we are making efforts to get possession of these parking lots, the LPC too should improve its performance by sharing its revenue with the CDGL according to the agreement,” Additional District Collector (General) Mr Asfandyar Baloch says.

The parking stands the LPC wants the CDGL to handed over to it after taking over their possession, include those of Aiwan-i-Adal (Kutchehry) on the Lower Mall, Siddique Trade Centre (Jail Road), Hafeez Centre (Gulberg Main Boulevard), Hall Road (The Mall), Xingwa Mall (Gulberg), Qadri Chambers (Meclod Road) and Surriya Azim Hospital (Chuburji).

Officials in the LPC say those operating these parking lots seem to be so powerful as no official concerned even tried to take these over so far. This has emboldened the staff employed by private operators to run these lots who are fleecing the vehicle owners with impunity, also bringing a bad name to the government as well as LPC and the CDGL, they say.

“After sending the reference, a meeting was held at the CDGL headquarters where the officials representing various departments, including LPC, unanimously backed taking over these sites and enforcing the parking regulations there. However, the senior officials concerned, despite repeated reminders, did nothing to resolve the issue,” explains a senior LPC official dealing the company’s operational affairs.

The official, who preferred anonymity, says that at a time when a foreign company (AGCN) is already engaged in automation of as many as 250 LPC parking lots under a phased programme, taking over the aforementioned sites, regulating them and eliminating overcharging has become a headache for the government.

He says that since these sites were generating huge incomes, the operators seem unwilling to hand them over to the CDGL and then the LPC.

“If you just calculate roughly the income from Aiawan-i-Adal and Hall Road sites alone, it totals up to millions per month. These parking lots are being run by the Lahore Bar Association and Traders Union, respectively,” the official says.

Similarly, he says, there are many other parking lots being operated in the city unlawfully by private parties or contractors.

About implementation of parking bylaws, the official says these have already been notified. He says more than 25 of the total 247 regulated sites, including Naqi Market, Panorama Centre, Moon Market, Liberty Market and EFU building, have been switched over to e-ticketing system by the firm that was entrusted with the task last year.

“The firm is also responsible for operating these sites and sharing revenues with the LPC and CDGL under a formula included in the agreement,” he added.

ADCG Mr Baloch says the officials concerned have already been directed to take over these sites. “A crackdown has been launched to take over some of these sites. There are also some litigation issues that have barred us from taking possession of some of the troublesome sites. But, we hope such issues will be resolved soon,” he adds.

He says the LPC will have to follow the agreement it had signed with the CDGL. “Under this (the agreement), the company is to transfer 75percent of the total revenue to the CDGL accounts. But they have been failing to do so,” he says.

LPC Managing Director Taseer Ahmad says the CDGL has started taking over the parking lots the company had asked it for and some of these have been handed over to it. But, the Aiwan-i-Adal, Hall Road and some other sites are yet to be taken over, he says.

However, he downplays the sharing of revenue, saying it was a minor issue. “We are sharing revenue with the CDGL under the agreement, and we think it is not an issue,” Mr Ahmad says, adding that the CDGL’s municipal services executive district officer was dealing with this matter.

However, EDO Mr Masood Tamanah categorically says the LPC was not following the agreement under which it was to pay 75pc of the total revenue to the CDGL.

“Under the agreement, the LPC should share revenue with CDGL on total gross income. But the company claims it had agreed to share revenue on net income, which means it will pay us from the income it gets after deducting all expenses—salaries, operational cost etc,” he explains.

He insists there is no ambiguity in the agreement about the revenue sharing formula.

Published in Dawn February 9th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play