LHC wants check on overcharging at car parks

LAHORE: Justice Muhammad Ghani of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the city administration to properly attend to overcharging at the parking stands in Lahore.

Iftikhar Ahmad, through his lawyer Muzamil Akhtar Shabbir, asked the court to interfere in the alleged arbitrary, unchecked and excessive rates being charged by the city government contractors at car parking stands. The petitioner alleged that the city government was ignoring the practice of over-charging maintained by the contractors for many years and that this was all done in connivance with city government employees.

The court called for a report and comments from the city government through its legal adviser Khawaja Muhammad Afzal. The government claimed that it was employing strict measures to fix charges at parking stands. It said that five rupees had been fixed for cars, three for a motorcycle and one rupee for a cycle. The government also said that its officials frequently visited parking stands to book overcharging contractors. It added that a contractor’s permit was cancelled after five complaints of overcharging were received against him. The government also said that people could complain against overcharging contractors by phoning on telephone numbers given on parking receipts.

The government’s adviser also produced some receipts of the parking stands and the court noticed that none of them was bearing the name of the contractor or the issuing authority. The court took exception to that, while not fully subscribing to what has been claimed by the respondent. The court directed the city government to print the names of every contractor on the receipts and also ensure that those over charging be punished.

The legal adviser promised to follow the court’s order and the petition was therefore disposed of. —Staff Report

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