CDGK incurs Rs 0.84 million loss in a month:
City may lose car parking plaza
KARACHI: The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) multi-storey Car Parking Plaza in Saddar Town has been receiving a lukewarm response from citizens arriving at the busy thoroughfare.
The CDGK Car Parking Plaza became functional on July 9 after it was jointly inaugurated by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan alongwith the City Nazim Mustafa Kamal and has been operational for a month now.
Sources in CDGK Enterprises and Investment Promotions Group of Offices and CDGK Finance and Recovery Group of Offices have told Daily Times that the CDGK has fixed parking fee for cars at Rs 30 while Rs 10 for motorcycles. “The loss of revenue is roughly calculated as Rs 840,000 in a month and if this continues to happen, the annual loss would reach Rs 1.80 million exclusive of salaries, stipends and other non-development expenses, which are also in millions,” the sources said.
The sources added that CDGK has spent Rs 650 million on the establishment of the parking plaza.
“The reason for car parking plaza receiving a poor response is the tactful manoeuvres by certain elements and traffic police,” said the sources.
“In case the CDGK parking plaza gets the required response, the traffic police would lose significant revenue amounting to millions of rupees because due to lack of sufficient space at the busiest shopping venues such as mobile phone market at Abdullah Haroon Road. The commuters readily park their cars and motorcycles off the street, which the car lifting personnel of the traffic police lift for a fine up to Rs 500, which the owner of the car or Rs 400 in case a motorcycle has to be deposited in cash,” claimed the sources.
Meanwhile, there is an open-air car washing area around highly sensitive government department under the auspices of area police and traffic police. “This is also a revenue engine for private needs and has created gridlocks all around the year. There are also some car showrooms situated besides Jahangir Park that have parked their cars for sale illegally over a huge area. Some officials for their personal benefit have also patronised this,” said the officer.
A well-placed CDGK officer on the condition of anonymity told Daily Times that although the traffic police have ensured their full support to the CDGK, their ‘practices’ that have matured for years have yet to be reformed.
There are certain busiest shopping venues in the vicinity of the parking plaza that remain packed with parked vehicles off the street as well as on the street. These include Abdullah Haroon Road from Garden traffic signal to fountain chowk, from Christian cathedral to back of Sindh High Court, from Tibet centre to entire Regal chowk and from across back lanes in the specified area.
The officer said that on Tuesday, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal held a meeting with traffic officials, including DIG Traffic Khurram Gulzar. The traffic police officials had again reiterated their resolve to ensure compliance of section 144, which the city nazim had imposed, but had gone in vain.