Hefty charges force residents to use no-parking zones

The unholy nexus between parking contractors and the authorities has led to overcharging and corruption in the winter capital of the state. Residents of the city, which is already facing parking crunch, are being forced to pay hefty charges for vehicle parking.
Jammu might be facing a huge parking crunch, but despite having space in the parking zones, people prefer to park their vehicles at “no-parking zones” in Jammu. The reason is not that they don’t want to pay for the parking, but the hefty parking charges irk them.
The misbehaviour of parking staff and overcharging is pushing people to park their vehicles right outside the parking lot, where they do not have to pay the hefty charges. But unfortunately that illegal parking on the roadside creates traffic mess in the city.
The authorities have fixed the minimum parking charges for a car at Rs 10 for two hours, which is already double than the minimum parking charges at Chandigarh, but the contractors are not adhering to the fixed rates and charging Rs 20 for car parking and giving a slip of Rs 10.
“They do not listen to your protest on overcharging saying that this is the rate,” said Suresh Mahajan, a bank employee, who parked his vehicle at Bahu Plaza complex for 15 minutes and paid Rs 20.
The authorities — Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and Jammu Municipal Corporation — are well aware of the overcharging and despite repeated complaints no action has been taken.
A boy working with the parking contractor at Bahu Plaza informed, “We have to pay a hefty amount to the authorities to get the contract renewed every year and we cannot cover that amount by charging Rs 10 per car.
The authorities do not take action against them, as the contractors have connections with higher-ups.