The Punjab government seems to have fed up with the poor performance of Lahore Parking Company (LePark) and has threatened to shut the company if it fails to devise a tangible plan for increasing revenue and improving performance.
The previous PML-N government had established the LePark with the aim to improve parking management in the city, raise revenue and eliminate ‘qabza’ mafia. However, the company failed to achieve any of the goals. “The company neither it could generate enough revenue, nor could bring end to qabza mafia due to its poor performance”, informed an official while requesting anonymity.
The Punjab cabinet, in its meeting, reportedly, discussed matters of the Lahore Parking Company and admonished its management over the poor performance. The sources, privy to the development, claimed that the Punjab government has given one week deadline to the company’s management to give a comprehensive plan for increasing revenue and performance. “Otherwise the company will be shut”, the sources claimed.
It is to be noted that the Lahore Parking Company was established under Section 32. According to the law, Metropolitan Corporation is the hundred percent share-holder of the parking company. The Local Government Act 2019, Third Schedule, binds the Metropolitan Corporation to provide parking facility to people in its area of domain. It is the Metropolitan Corporation’s prerogative to take either the company along or let it functional in the current position.
The public in general and traders in particular have pinned their hopes on the LePark but all their expectations turned to be mere expectation in view of the poor performance of the company. The traders, especially those doing business on main arteries of the city, like The Mall, Jail Road, Ferozpur Road and others have urged the government to provide best parking facilities to the public in view of the ever-rising traffic in the metropolis.
Experts are of the view that the dream of development can never be materialized, especially in the metropolitan city like Lahore, without comprehensive parking. The government would have to take tangible measures for modern parking facilities in the city.
