Smart parking set to take off in December

Five years after an action plan suggested regulating parking to decongest the city, the BBMP’s smart parking system is finally set to come into effect on 85 roads by December and yield revenues of Rs 397.46 crore in the next 10 years.

The smart parking system, which aims to check haphazard parking that plagues the CBD and hinders vehicle movement on key roads, has been in the making for about five years. Implementing the system has been a big challenge for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) after its two tenders failed to get the “expected response”.

BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said the Urban Development Department has approved the policy and gave details of the government order. “The concessionaire company has said that the agreement will be completed on Thursday. The company is getting ready for a pilot by installing all sensors and tech equipment. The work will be completed and the system will be launched in December,” he said.

According to the government order issued on March 7, Building Control Solution India Pvt Ltd, the successful bidder, will provide Rs 31.60 crore per year subject to the annual increment of about 5%.

The BBMP is set to get a cumulative revenue of Rs 397.46 crore in the next 10 years.

Asked about the delay, sources in the Urban Development Department said: “The tenders were prepared based on the 2012 parking policy passed by the BBMP council. However, the corporation took years to act on it. The tenders failed twice. By the time they sought approval for the third tender, the model code of conduct came into force.”

Sources in the BBMP said the concessionaire has submitted a letter promising to finalise the contract within a week following which work on implementation will begin.

The roads have been classified into a premium, standard and smaller streets. Avenue, Brigade and Race Course are among 14 premium roads while SP Road, Dhanavantri, Kasturba and Palace Roads come under the second group. C category roads are in areas like Chickpet, Balepet and Bannappa Park.