Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) this morning made it mandatory for all commercial establishments in city to stop charging parking fee.

This decision was announced in a meeting chaired by H.S. Nandeesh Preetham, Chairman,  MCC’s Standing Committee on Town Planning at Old MCC Council Hall.

Addressing the meeting, Nandeesh Preetham said that hitherto commercial complexes were collecting exorbitant parking fees from customers forcing them to park their vehicles on  the side of roads, which was hampering smooth flow of traffic.

He said that MCC Commissioner G. Jagadeesha, had on Nov. 20 issued an order making it mandatory for all commercial complexes and private hospitals in city to provide free parking with immediate effect.

When SOM asked if the new rules of providing free parking could be misused by public to park their vehicles at the Malls, Nandeesh Preetham said that it was upto the management of Malls and Private Hospitals to make sure only their customers and patients’ caretakers park in that area and it was not the MCC’s duty.

Referring to the Government itself collecting parking fee at Dasara Exhibition Grounds and at Mysore Palace, he said that both the places do not come under the purview of MCC and hence he had nothing to say in the matter.

Asked if the property tax for the basement would be waived  off like in Bengaluru, Nandeesh said that the tax was waived off in Bengaluru based on BBMP Act but MCC is guided under Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act which had no such provision unless an amendment is brought in by the State government.

Fee for road-digging

Nandeesh Preetham also suggested that MCC collect a fee of Rs. 1 lakh per year for every kilometer of the road dug by private telecom service providers to lay cables.

He said that a total of 3,600 kms length of roads have been utilised by the private telecom service providers and charging  them a fee would bring a substantial revenue to the MCC.