A fair chance appears on the horizon that the levy of parking fee by the multiplexes and commercial complexes may be legalised soon.
A two-month-old letter by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation seeking directions from Government about parking fee in private buildings, shopping complexes, multiplexes and cinema theatres, suggestively mentions the same.
While not directly proposing to allow the premises to charge parking fee, the letter refers to an earlier order by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department, announcing the parking policy.
The order, which is not available in the public domain, apparently proposes to promote private participation and investment in creation and management of parking spaces.
“To enable appropriate pricing for the various parking facilities it is proposed (in the G.O.) to have surcharge on properties who do not have parking facilities and regulate parking charges so as to promote policy objectives,” the letter by Municipal Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy, to Secretary MAUD Navin Mittal cited.
Earlier, Mr. Reddy mentioned a provision in the GHMC Act that enables the corporation to levy parking fee on the space provided by it and said there was no mention of levy of fee in case of private commercial complexes.
The letter further goes on to mention the building rules which expressly forbid levy of parking charges in case of residential apartment complexes, hospitals, schools, colleges, institutional and industrial buildings, while being silent about the same in commercial complexes and theatres.
Presently, GHMC or Traffic Police are not regulating the collection of parking fee by the shopping malls and multiplexes, the letter says before going on to mention the parking policy.
While it is not specified anywhere in the Act/Rules that parking fee shall be levied/collected, ‘only a judgement’ by the High Court in 2003 prohibits levy and collection of parking fee, it says, before urging the Government to issue orders on the issue. When sought clarity on the letter, Mr. Janardhan Reddy did not respond.
Published - November 24, 2017 12:25 am IST
