CBC resumes charged parking in DHA
Practice was stopped after a resident took them to court
Practice was stopped after a resident took them to court. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID
KARACHI:
The respite from not paying for charged parking in Defence Housing Authority and parts of Clifton has come to an end as the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) has resumed its collection of fees for vehicles parked within its jurisdiction.
Unlike before, when contractors would collect the charges on behalf of the CBC, this time the authorities are themselves collecting parking charges and not auctioning off the rights to collect parking fees.
At the Sea View Beach strip, young men in black T-shirts with CBC printed on their backs are collecting parking charges, Rs20 for cars and Rs10 for motorcycles. A husband and wife from Saddar astride a motorcycle groaned over the fact that it has resumed. “We come twice a week in the evenings to enjoy the sea. The amount may not be much but such facilities should be free for everyone,” said Shoaib.
Read: KU starts charged parking outside Silver Jubilee Gate
The CBC had stopped charging parking fee months ago when it was taken to court by a resident who challenged its power to levy charged parking fees. The petitioner, Muhammad Sajjad Haider, argued that the authorities have no right to collect a parking fee under the Cantonment Act 1924 or to auction the right to collect parking charges.
The CBC vice-president, Aziz Suharwardy, claimed that a notification has been issued by the law ministry, which allows them to resume charged parking. Meanwhile, CBC’s revenue department incharge Karim Abbasi said that they have yet to hand over the contract and so far the CBC is running it on its own. “We are the municipal body and we are allowed to collect parking charges. Once the case ends, then we will hold a public auction.”
So far, the CBC has started charged parking at Sea View and blocks eight and nine of Clifton. It plans to resume charged parking on six to seven locations, including Khadda Market, Do Darya and Gizri. For the people, this comes as an unpleasant surprise. Those visiting the beach or the shopping centres in Clifton say that they were not informed about this decision earlier and confusion persists over the authenticity of the men collecting the charges.
Read: Taking Control Commissioner hopes to discipline charged parking
The authorities justify the charged parking, especially at Sea View, saying that they are spending a lot on development and that they have expenditures to meet. “The CBC has set up life guards on the beach and we have imported a beach cleaning machine,” said Suharwardy.
Earlier in 2014, CBC’s revenue superintendent Faisal Khan Jadoon had told The Express Tribune that in the wake of the bi-furcation of the Karachi Cantonment Board in 1980, the former had notified the CBC to generate revenue from designated parking sites falling within its jurisdiction. “We are running the sites based on this notification,” he had said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2015.
The respite from not paying for charged parking in Defence Housing Authority and parts of Clifton has come to an end as the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) has resumed its collection of fees for vehicles parked within its jurisdiction.
Unlike before, when contractors would collect the charges on behalf of the CBC, this time the authorities are themselves collecting parking charges and not auctioning off the rights to collect parking fees.
At the Sea View Beach strip, young men in black T-shirts with CBC printed on their backs are collecting parking charges, Rs20 for cars and Rs10 for motorcycles. A husband and wife from Saddar astride a motorcycle groaned over the fact that it has resumed. “We come twice a week in the evenings to enjoy the sea. The amount may not be much but such facilities should be free for everyone,” said Shoaib.
Read: KU starts charged parking outside Silver Jubilee Gate
The CBC had stopped charging parking fee months ago when it was taken to court by a resident who challenged its power to levy charged parking fees. The petitioner, Muhammad Sajjad Haider, argued that the authorities have no right to collect a parking fee under the Cantonment Act 1924 or to auction the right to collect parking charges.
The CBC vice-president, Aziz Suharwardy, claimed that a notification has been issued by the law ministry, which allows them to resume charged parking. Meanwhile, CBC’s revenue department incharge Karim Abbasi said that they have yet to hand over the contract and so far the CBC is running it on its own. “We are the municipal body and we are allowed to collect parking charges. Once the case ends, then we will hold a public auction.”
So far, the CBC has started charged parking at Sea View and blocks eight and nine of Clifton. It plans to resume charged parking on six to seven locations, including Khadda Market, Do Darya and Gizri. For the people, this comes as an unpleasant surprise. Those visiting the beach or the shopping centres in Clifton say that they were not informed about this decision earlier and confusion persists over the authenticity of the men collecting the charges.
Read: Taking Control Commissioner hopes to discipline charged parking
The authorities justify the charged parking, especially at Sea View, saying that they are spending a lot on development and that they have expenditures to meet. “The CBC has set up life guards on the beach and we have imported a beach cleaning machine,” said Suharwardy.
Earlier in 2014, CBC’s revenue superintendent Faisal Khan Jadoon had told The Express Tribune that in the wake of the bi-furcation of the Karachi Cantonment Board in 1980, the former had notified the CBC to generate revenue from designated parking sites falling within its jurisdiction. “We are running the sites based on this notification,” he had said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2015.