Paving the way for implementation of Smart Parking in the City Beautiful, the Administrator of UT, Chandigarh Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday granted approval to parking rates chargeable at 89 parking lots run by Municipal Corporation. According to the notification, first 20 minutes of parking shall be free of cost for pick and drop, in 84 parking lots of the city.    No increase has been made in the existing parking charges for two and four wheelers across 84 parking lots, for the first slab of 4 hours which is Rs 7 and Rs 14  respectively. Slab rates have been introduced to facilitate circulation of vehicles and optimum utilization of parking space. "As most of the parking sites are in market areas, this is also in the interest of the business being run so that circulation of vehicles is maintained, a statement issued by MC, Chandigarh said.   Due to the acute shortage of parking space, and for optimal utilization of parking space in the city, parking in underground facilities, wherever available, has been incentivized by charging Rs.5  less than the surface parking rates for the corresponding category. In addition, taking Digital India Mission further, the use of digital payment has been encouraged and cash payment discouraged. Accordingly, cash payments have been de-incentivized Rs.5 for all categories of vehicles in all slabs. The statement added that this shall also go a long way in bringing transparency and preventing corrupt practices by vendors and the parking staff. Moreover, monthly passes have also been introduced at minimal rates of Rs 300 per month, for underground parking and Rs 400 for surface parking. The slab rates and other components will be applicable only after implementation of Smart Parking in the city. Till then, the present rates shall continue. In a significant change from the stand taken by the Municipal Corporation, the Administrator decided that no extra charges shall be payable by citizens from outside the tricity area.

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