Bangalore, December 20: Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee on Friday suggested to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to implement the parking policy in the city to avoid haphazard parking of vehicles, traffic congestion and bring in more revenue to the civic agency.
Speaking at a meeting of the Petitions Committee of the Legislative Assembly here, Mr. Mukherjee told BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana to hold talks with councillors and legislators and convince them on the need to collect parking fee. The BBMP should not approve building plans without space earmarked for parking vehicles inside the premises, he added.
Deputy Speaker N.H. Shivashankara Reddy chaired the meeting.
MLA and former Minister S. Suresh Kumar, MLA S. Chikmadu, Bangalore City Police Commissioner Raghavendra H. Auradkar and heads of civic agencies and government departments participated.
Mr. Lakshminarayana said the BBMP Council had passed the parking policy but it was not being implemented owing to opposition from councillors and legislators.
The Chief Secretary told the BBMP to clear pending bills of contractors on priority.
The Commissioner said the BBMP was expected to generate Rs. 2,000 crore in 2013-14 about 40 per cent more than the previous year (around Rs. 1,400 crore). However, the funds would not suffice for clearing contractors’ bills and taking up proposed works.
Mr. Mukherjee told the BBMP Commissioner to prepare a report on the finances required by the BBMP to clear pending bills so that it could be placed before the Chief Minister.
Lakes in city
BDA Commissioner T. Sham Bhat said that of the 937 tanks in and around the city, the Bangalore Development Authority maintains 123 tanks. Of them, the BDA had developed 13 tanks and fenced 56 water bodies. Another 32 tanks would be developed in 2013-14.
Officials of the Bangalore Urban district argued that as poor families had constructed houses on tankbeds, it would be difficult to demolish their dwellings without rehabilitating them.
