PANJIM: People smell a rat in collection of pay parking fees by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) as the signboards that indicate the notified parking rates are deliberately torn at different locations in Panjim.
When O Heraldo team went around in the city, it was found that two torn signboards at Campal near a popular restaurant, two along 18th June Road including one near Panjim Health Centre, two near Garcia de Orta Garden and one each on the road stretch of Panjim Residency and Dr Roque D’Souza road.
On all these boards, it was found that only the portion where notified parking fees are printed have been torn off and it clearly appears that it has been done deliberately while the logo of CCP were seen intact.
As per the notified rates for two-wheelers up to four hours Rs 4 should be charged, four to 12 hours Rs 8 and more than 12 hours but less than 24 hours Rs 15 should be charged. While for four wheelers for the first hour Rs 20 and for per additional hour Rs 15 should be charged.
Political activist Cecille Rodrigues alleged that the signboards have been deliberately damaged and the tourists and the locals are being fleeced, she further alleged that the pay parking contractor appointed workers are collecting parking fees ranging between Rs 100 to Rs 400 from tourists and locals.
“I have been told by people working in a Campal-based restaurant that tourists are overcharged. Locals too are overcharged. Near Panjim church at one road stretch there are no sign boards yet I was asked to pay parking fees. This is a big scam. The areas which are notified as pay parking zones are not demarcated properly, there are no proper signages,” Rodrigues said.
“The paper receipts which are given to the public has ‘park at your own risk’ written on it. If this is the thing then why are we charged parking fees? If CCP can’t assure security of our vehicles then they have no right to collect money. The roads are bad and there are no CCTV cameras installed in parking zones so why should we pay?,” she questioned.
The activist demanded that the CCP should do away with the pay parking and consider putting in place all required infrastructure.
“I have not been overcharged, but looking at the way sign boards are defaced at different locations, it looks like it has been done with an ulterior motive. Maybe, they have targeted tourists,” Rupali Shah, a resident of St Inez said.
Rohit Parab who works at a courier company in Panjim said, “Most of the boards in Patto area are intact, we see tempered boards in the heart of the city. The government should launch an inquiry and book the culprits. CCP should consider providing shaded areas for parking as it has generated a lot of revenue. We don’t mind a bit more if they are willing to provide shade.”
CCP’s appointed pay parking contractor Sohan Juwarkar alleged that the signboards are damaged by a section of tourist taxi operators and by ‘some’ restaurant owners.
“Signboards have been defaced in those areas where tourist taxi operators park their vehicles. They get into verbal altercation with our boys. Some of the restaurant owners have also defaced the boards as they don’t want their guests to pay the parking fees. We are not cheating anybody. In fact we are at loss. Sign boards in areas where there are no restaurants and where taxi operators don’t park their vehicles are intact,” Juwarkar said.
He said that his workers are charging fees as per the rate notified by the authority concerned.
“There is no question of overcharging. My boys are charging only the notified rates. As far as our sign boards are concerned, nearly 150 odd sign boards were removed by CCP workers and when we questioned them, we were told that they removed it following directions from G20 cell headed by Sanjit Rodrigues. We are suffering because people are not ready to pay the parking fees in the absence of a board,” the contractor added. Contact could not be established with CCP officials for their comment on the issue.