Sir,

When I first read that MCC will finally implement ‘Pay and Park’ system, I was happy. At last, our Corporators are doing the right thing. But I was disappointed to read the Abracadabra critical of such a long delayed facility. Now looks like after seeing all the media hype, MCC is having a second thought. This is most unfortunate.

Roads belong to every one and no one has the right to claim under any circumstances for their exclusive use free of cost. This is specially true when such roads are congested and prevents majority from using them.

Just because shop owners were able to park since a long time, it does not give them any rights or privileges to continue to use. In fact, if private vehicles are prohibited on some of the roads and people can travel only by public vehicles, our Central Business District (CBD) will be a lovely place to visit and will attract even more people resulting in greater revenues to shop owners.

Without any exception in every major city, people have to pay for parking. Otherwise it will be a havoc. Paying for parking has been universally accepted principle and it is equitable. Basic economic principle which is taught in all schools is that when any commodity is in high demand and supply is limited, one way of balancing supply and demand is through proper pricing. Needless to state the obvious that in all the roads where ‘Pay and Park’ is suggested parking today is limited. Why should we hesitate to implement a sound economic principle if it produces maximum societal good as has been seen everywhere.

At least we can improve traffic flow and help more people to support shop owners if pay and park is implemented after fixing the right amounts of parking fees. It should not be too high for people not to use it at all. It should not be too low that they will not care for the small fee to use the limited resource of parking space in a congested place.

At a time when we are hotly debating the justification of giving freebies, especially electricity to even the middle class and the rich, we need to ask: Isn’t giving free parking a freebie also?

— Bhamy V. Shenoy, Camp: USA, 14.6.2023

Note: When the Government is so generous in giving freebies of the kind never heard of before, why ask for a fee for parking which has never been there? And the cause for the limited space for parking is because of the Corporators’ venal conduct (exceptions apart) and the greed for money on the part of MUDA and MCC as in the case of Makkaji Chowk, Town Hall parking lot and parting with vacant lands available near about D. Devaraja Urs Road, for example.—Ed

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