IMC to take over parking management once again
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, March 30 2012:
Currently, management of parking lots in Khwairamband Bazar area is being done through appointment of agents by the authorities of Imphal East and Imphal West District Police.
But steps have been initiated to hand over the task to Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) once again.
Disclosing this to Hueiyen Lanpao, a reliable source said that after the Government of Manipur placed Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) under suspension on August 9, 2010 in the wake of the report submitted by a Committee of Officers which was constituted by the government to look into the alleged fund misuse and administrative lapses in the functioning of the Council, the management of parking lots in Khwairamband Bazar area was entrusted to the authorities of Imphal East and Imphal West district police.
However, suspension of IMC was revoked on March 9, 2011 and election was held to elect a new Council.
But so far, management of parlking lots has not yet been handed over to IMC.
When officials of the Council approached the government in this regard, the former had been asked to work out a new modality for management of parking lots and submit the same, the source disclosed.
The source further pointed out that with limited sources of income, the newly constituted Council has not been able to carry out its works smoothly due to financial constraints.
Earlier, the Council used to levy Octroi taxes on the goods brought in to Imphal.
But that too had been lifted by the government on alleged charge of failure on the part of then elected councilors of the Council to perform their duties.
To compensate for the loss, the government has been providing Rs 19 lakhs to the Council every month.
In addition to that the Council generates an income of around Rs 7 lakhs from market, shops, building plan and toll taxes.
So, the Council has been under severe financial difficulties to run its administration with just around Rs 26 lakh.
Taking into consideration of this, IMC has started working out a new modality for management of the parking lots in Khwairamband Bazar area so as to take over the task from the district police authorities of Imphal East and Imphal West, the source informed.
On the other another, another reliable source in Transport Department said that the Department has no reservation as such to handing over the task of management of parking lots in Bazar areas of Imphal to IMC provided the latter submits the new modality required.
However, after a new traffic rule was enforced in the Bazar area and the parking lots were re-organised, the amount of revenue generated has come down, the source added.