Vehicle parking fee collection remains unaccounted
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 10 2012: Failure to comply with an agreement on parking fee collection module is said to be depriving Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) of a large amount of income.

While IMC's ambit is limited to only three parking slots within the main commercial areas of the capital city only, parking places have literally become a free-for-all zone as numerous individuals have been manning these slots but the income generated on a daily basis remains unaccounted.

According to sources, an agreement was signed between Traffic Regulatory Parking Committee (TRPC) and IMC by which the latter was tasked to man parking slots at Paona and Thangal Keithels and MG Avenue since June last.

As per agreement, IMC is supposed to use 'punching machines' in levying parking fees at these three locations and upon completing a month other parking zones would be subsequently handed over to the Council.

'Punching machine' is said to be a hand-held equipment through which number of vehicles parked in a particular day could be accounted.

Vehicles parked at the parking lot near the temporary market sheds

However, as IMC failed to comply with the agreement, to whom or which agency the other parking zones have been allocated remains a mystery.

Rather than stick to the terms of agreement, IMC councillors are informed to have divided the three parking zones among themselves and thus sharing the daily income through mutual agreement.

Even though personnel manning the three parking zones were reluctant to disclose the average collection of parking fee, a source confided that about Rs 40004500 can be generated from the Thangal Keithel, Paona Keithel and MG Avenue parking slots.

It is also said that inspite of the IMC's Executive Officer issuing an order on June 29 assigning 33 employees of the Council at the three parking zones, the employees neither man these sites nor do they report for duty at the office.

For other locations of the commercial areas where parking fees are being collected from the citizens, TRPC and some NGOs/agencies signed an agreement to man these areas but the agreement had already lapsed since July 13, 2012 .

Even though the other parking zones should be technically free for the citizens to park their vehicles as no official agreement exist, individuals clad in differently coloured uniform-like attires continue to levy parking fee at some locations while others are free zones.

For instance, an open space within the 'temporary market shed' has been converted into a sprawling parking slot with many people preferring to idle their vehicles there due to its close proximity to a number of commercial establishments.

According to some personnel manning this particular parking zone, an NGO called ULLA is running the parking slot.

Contrary to their claim, a Transport Department official contended that no order was issued by the Department to any NGO for running the said parking area.

Another personnel at the same parking zone disclosed that the daily income is usually split between ULLA, unidentified individuals and the police.

Attempt to contact Traffic Police authorities and enquire about the police share drew blank.

Meanwhile, a source confided that in case IMC properly manages the parking zones with due compliance to the TRPC-IMC agreement, the latter's revenue collection would be very healthy.

While there is undoubtedly huge potential, mismanagement of the IMC meant that the council continues to be one of the bankrupt institutions of the Government.