Pay and Park facility in Ulhasnagar turns out to be bogus after vehicle owners get e-challans, probe launched

Citizens who rightfully paid for the lsquopay and parkrsquo facility for their twowheelers were still issued echallan fines for illegal parking Over 125 twowheeler owners who have been using the facility outside Shahad railway station for years now find themselves caught in a scamLocals shocked by the revelation say the socalled lsquopay and parkrsquo facility has been operating for over 15 yearsmdashonly to be exposed as entirely illegal The traffic department has issued challans to all vehicles parked in this facility with the total fine amounting to lakhs of rupeesKumkum Gupta a resident of Shahad said she has been parking her twowheeler outside the station premises for the past eight years ldquoThere was a dedicated lsquopay and parkrsquo board so we assumed it was a legitimate facility I paid a monthly sum to these people but a couple of days ago I started receiving challans Thatrsquos when many of us discovered that the entire lsquopay and parkrsquo was a shamrdquo she said Echoing her concerns another local Rajendra Shirke said ldquoShe is right I have also been parking my bike here for many years paying as and when they demanded Maybe we should have checked the bills properlyrdquoThe citizens were given a billlike receipt by those running the bogus payandpark facility unaware that it held no legal validity The individuals behind the operation are now being traced by the authoritiesThe joint operation was conducted by the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation UMC and the traffic police under the orders of IAS Manisha Awhale commissioner of UMC Over two days officials penalized 125 vehicles issuing fines totaling Rs 13 lakhVehicle owners received echallan notifications on their registered numbers with fines ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 2000 which they are unhappy about ldquoI already paid for pay and park now I have to also pay for echallan How is it my fault that the pay and park was bogus and illegal Isnrsquot it the responsibility of the traffic policerdquo asked Rajeesh Lambole a localOn Tuesday afternoon MidDay visited the spot and found the roads nearly empty with only one or two twowheelers parked Shopkeepers and vendors said that ever since the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation and the traffic police vacated all vehiclesmdashwhen the challans were issued for illegal parkingmdashpeople have largely stopped parking there In fact shopkeepers noted that the operation has come as a relief as the roads are now decongested providing more space for pedestrians to move through the market and access the railway stationWhile they welcome the action residents and locals who relied on the bogus lsquopay and parkrsquo facility are now left wondering where to park their twowheelers ldquoIf this facility is gone we have no alternative I live quite far from the station and taking an auto daily isnrsquot financially feasible while the bus service is unreliable Commuting by bike was the only sensible option and now that too is jeopardized So do we have an alternativerdquo asked Suneethi Raj a college student residing in the interiors of ShahadAnswering this question Alka Pawar Assistant Commissioner of UMC told midmay that with the removal of the bogus payandpark facility a new parking system has been introduced which will be managed by the UMCldquoBefore I was appointed as Assistant Commissioner there was already a tender for parking but it didnrsquot go through Once I was appointed I made it a priority to eliminate these illegal parking spots and replace them with a legitimate one which is safer and can also generate revenue for the UMC The new parking area has the UMC board prominently displayed so people can park their vehicles by paying a minimal amount and in return they will receive a legitimate billreceiptrdquo concluded Pawar who previously oversaw the removal of illegal parking spots encroachments and shanties in the Ulhasnagar and Shahad areas