IMC & Traffic Police in mess over parking lots
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 13 2013: Traffic Regulation Parking Committee (TRPC) had entrusted Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) the task of manning parking lots in Imphal City in 2012, but IMC is yet to take up the task officially till date.

As a result of this lapse, IMC and Traffic Police are now in confusion as to which one is the actual authority for manning the parking lots.

This confusion between IMC and Traffic Police even led to the arrest of 54 persons who were engaged in the task of manning parking lots in Imphal City on May 9 .

Many questions have been raised over the failure of IMC to take up the task of manning parking lots officially.

The state government had decided to handover the task of manning parking lots at Thangal Bazar, Paona Bazar and MG Avenue to IMC with the sole objective of generating revenue of the Council.

Today, it is even suspected that some individuals might be earning money from these parking lots instead of raising the revenue of IMC.

Notably, instead of issuing an official order, IMC recruited two persons belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) each from every ward for manning the parking lots in Imphal city.

Altogether 54 persons were recruited on contract basis and assigned them the task.

They have been manning the parking lots for about a year, but suddenly on May 9, they were picked by Traffic Police stating that they have collected the parking fee without any official order from IMC.

Those arrested persons included both men and women from BPL families.

They have been disheartened by the conduct of the Traffic Police.

They could earn only a meagre sum of money from their work, but they have raised about Rs.10,000 daily for IMC from parking fee.

These 54 persons have been verified by the Police before they were put to work.

The Traffic Police have even asked them to bring their photographs and residential certificates for verification.

There is a big confusion in this matter of manning the parking lots.

The Traffic Police have nothing to do with these parking lots, but the lapses of the IMC have unnecessarily put those 54 persons in a problematic situation.

The revenue from these parking lots is obviously a boon for the employees of IMC who have not received their salaries for many years.

However, differences among the councillors of IMC have led to such a situation.

It is high time for the authorities to look into this matter and bring about an amicable solution to end the misunderstanding between the IMC and Traffic Police on the issue of parking lots.

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