Controversial move: KU forced to take back charged parking decision

Amid criticism, from students, objections from the KMC, the varsity had no choice but to back down

KARACHI: After much criticism and reluctance from students, the University of Karachi (KU) administration and security officers have reversed their decision to charge a parking fee. They had begun charging the fee on Tuesday outside the Silver Jubilee gate of the university.

"The decision to start charged parking was taken to ease the problems of visitors but people do not want you to do well, instead they only criticise you," KU's registrar, Moazzam Ali, told The Express Tribune. The decision was taken back after the Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) parking director, Jameel Ahmed, wrote a letter on Thursday.

The letter written by the KMC to the KU administration stated that KU had no authority to collect a parking fee as there is a charged parking department functioning within the KMC. It went on to say that if KU was interested in imposing charged parking, a request must be sent to the KMC.



"We just tried to solve the visitors' problems because we were getting complaints on a daily basis from the visitors who park their cars and motor bikes outside the main gate," said Ali, explaining why they started charging for parking on a trial basis for a few weeks.

Ali also pointed out that neither the media nor the KMC had come up with an idea to help the visitors, instead they would rather make an issue out of this possible solution.

"We are responsible if any theft complaints are received inside the premises of the university but we need a solution for the outside as well," explained Ali. The parking fee was just Rs5 for bikes and Rs10 for cars, which is very reasonable, he added.

Ali said that according to the letter written by the KMC they have claimed that this land belongs to them. "They should come up with a solution to resolve the issue then," he said.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Express Tribune, Ahmed said that they themselves cannot start a charged parking system outside KU as it will burden the students and visitors who come for admission inquiries.

"A lot of regular students also park their bikes and cars outside, how can we place a burden of paying a daily parking fee on them?" he asked.

"If KU wants us to start charged parking outside the Silver Jubilee gate, then their administration should write a letter to us requesting it," Ahmed said, which he believes is the only solution possible. KMC will look into this matter and will deploy our team if charged parking is really that necessary, he promised.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2015.