Pune: The civic body has decided to appoint contractors at key parking lots on JM Road and dismantle some others following several complaints that various PMC-run facilities needed major upgrade.Many regular commuters also sought better monitoring at parking lots to curb fleecing and overcharging. Lack of maintenance, proper lighting and broken staircases are among the major challenges at these civic body-run parking lots.Officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said the administration has started the process to appoint contractors at key parking lots. To avoid fleecing, specific instructions would be issued to all the contractors to display the charges at various locations inside the parking lot and at entry-exit points for the benefit of commuters, an official said.Civic activists and local sources from market areas have said the administration has been slow to develop new parking lots.“They [PMC] should provide data on how many plots reserved for parking are fully developed. There is encroachment at many plots reserved for parking, the administration should clear all such encroachments and make these spaces available for parking,” said civic activist Vijay Kamble said.Ajay Bhosale, a resident of Shukrawar Peth, said parking has been a major challenge in the market areas but there has been very little progress on developing new lots. Bhosale said the PMC has already sanctioned a parking policy with the focus on imposing charges for roadside parking and also developing new parking lots. However, he pointed out, nothing substantial has happened on both fronts.“It is possible to develop multi-storey parking lots to limit roadside parking. The situation in Pune is worrisome as it has a significant population of vehicles,” said Sachin Kulkarni, a postgraduate student.
