A parking system rigged to loot

The private operator contracted by the BBMP to manage parking spaces in Bengaluru has been charging exorbitant fines of up to Rs 500 from motorists without justification, but for more than two years now, the civic body has simply ignored complaints on the matter from the public. The pay-and-park system, also claimed to be ‘smart’ or ‘automated’ parking facility, was introduced on 85 roads to manage the chaotic parking situation and also to earn some revenue for the perennially cash-strapped civic body. While the parking system did restore a semblance of order, the arbitrary fine imposed by the operator has come in for acute criticism. The system seems to have been rigged to ensure that the operator can make hefty amounts by imposing these fines. Motorists wanting to park at one of these facilities are required to pay in advance for the period that they intend to park, and not at the time of exiting from it as should be the case with any parking system that is based on time limits. A motorist returning just minutes past the time for which s/he has paid in advance is made to cough up a fine of Rs 250 for two-wheelers or Rs 500 for four-wheelers. A fair system would be to ask the motorist to pay for only the unpaid minutes or hours, not to penalise him five or 10 times the parking fee itself. Indeed, the contractor must be asked to collect parking fee only at the time of exit, not at entry.

Is the provision to penalise people so heavily part of the tender the BBMP drew up for the parking contract, or is it something the contractor has twisted or manipulated to his advantage? How come BBMP officials have not noticed what has been going on for so long and have not considered revoking the contract or its terms? How much of the money that the operator has collected as fines has gone into the BBMP coffers, and how much of it has gone into the contractor’s pocket? Have BBMP officials deliberately ignored the complaints over the issue for so long because there were kickbacks involved?

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath has said that the system will be withdrawn. He must also institute an inquiry into how this unfair system came into being in the first place, why the complaints about it were ignored for so long, and who profited from it. The BBMP must recover the money collected as fines since the inception of the system. It should also bring BBMP officials guilty and negligent over the issue to book.