The Patiala Municipal Corporation has given the parking tender to a private party in the old Tractor Market and on Baharha Road at the annual cost of Rs 13 lakh each. “However, the contractor has been charging illegally from people parking their vehicles outside the authorised space,” said a nearby shopkeeper.

Sources in the Corporation told Newsline that the contractor has been doing this in connivance with MC staff. When Newsline team visited the parking lots, the staff of the parking contractor was found issuing parking slips to the vehicles parked on road. “We are authorised to charge the vehicles parked on the entire stretch,” said an employee of the contractor. Meanwhile, all the efforts to contact the contractor turned futile.

Sources in MC said, “It is only in the festival season that people park their vehicles in parking lots otherwise they usually park them on road.” Shopkeepers of the area claimed that their trade has been suffering as the contractor has been charging people for parking their vehicles on the entire stretch, therefore, people prefer going to other markets. “I used to come for a bowl of chicken soup in the market, but now we might have to go to other markets due to parking charges,” said one Gundeep Singh.