SOLUTION IN SIGHT: The Smart Parking Card system may make parking hassle-free. - PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

HYDERABAD: The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) has received a shot in the arm for its new Smart Parking Card with the State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) agreeing to validate the cards for their parking slots.

The catch is that the prevailing parking fees in these particular office spaces will be charged but with the convenience of having a common card for paying parking fees anywhere.

Smart cards have been introduced recently with denominations of Rs.50, Rs.100 and Rs.400 and ticket issuance has been dispensed with since then. The MCH is now pressing into service hand-held mobile electronic devices costing Rs.24,000 each to record entry and timing of vehicles into designated slots.

Uniformity mantra

Additional Commissioner for Estates Ravi Babu says talks will be held with the South Central Railway, commercial complexes and cinema houses to make the cards acceptable uniformly throughout the city for making parking hassle-free.

"We are not looking at the project as a revenue model. We are only looking at making parking more convenient for citizens. We are ready to share the fees with other departments concerned," says Commissioner Sanjay Jaju.

Hundred and four parking slots have been identified and among them electronic devices will be deployed in 40 locations, including 30 roadside parking sites and five with auto gate facility. One auto gate facility is functioning near the Regional Passport Office.

Parking fee in MCH-owned slots, in fact, has been reduced this year with Rs.3 per hour being charged for four-wheelers and Rs.1.50 for two-wheelers. Smart card reading on the mobile devices can also be directly loaded on main servers real time.

Top-up facility

MCH expects to sell 50,000 smart cards in the next few months as these cards have the facility for top-up on exhaustion of the charge. "We got rid of the contractor system with pre-paid parking cards, and with smart card we want to make it acceptable in all places by coordinating with other departments," says Mr. Babu. Vehicle numbers and owners' names are not being recorded on the cards when issuing to enable any family member to use it, he avers. Parking staff has been trained in using the devices and also to sell smart cards for an incentive of Rs.5 per card.

MCH is also planning to sell parking cards at fuel stations and automotive shops besides selling space on them. Smart cards are available at eSeva centres and some APOnline centres now.

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