Chandigarh, June 30 -- The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) House passed 32 agendas on Monday, but deferred the much-touted smart parking project as councillors opposed its implementation, questioning its feasibility while asserting that there should not be any hike in parking rates. The proposal was added as a supplementary agenda item by officials with the aim of generating revenue as well as streamlining and modernising the vehicle parking system Thirty-six items, including main, supplementary and table agenda items, were placed before the House for discussion. A few were deferred. After AAP councillors called for rejection of the agenda related to the smart parking project as soon as it came up for discussion in the House, mayor Saurabh Joshi said, "The BJP is strictly against any increase in prices." However, MC commissioner Amit Kumar said that joint commissioner-II was not present at the meeting, following which the agenda item was deferred. A few councillors, wishing not to be named, said only a few months remain before the MC elections so it was not feasible to announce parking price hike. Congress councillor Jasbir Singh Bunty said such plans should not be added to the agenda when it is certain that these will be deferred. The smart parking policy aims at replacing the existing flat-rate system with a time-based, slab-driven structure at 89 paid parking sites across the city. At present, parking in Chandigarh is largely under the control of the MC, which took over operations after earlier contractor's arrangements ended on a controversial note. The smart parking project has been in the works for several years but has faced repeated delays due to policy revisions, contractual issues, and administrative hurdles. Conceptualised around 2022, the project aimed to introduce FASTag-enabled, tech-based parking across the city. The House had approved revised parking rates in 2023, but the rollout was stalled due to disputes over GST, stamp duty, and tender conditions, forcing authorities to scrap earlier plans and prepare a fresh proposal. At present, Chandigarh follows a simple and uniform parking fee structure.For all parking sites, except those in cinema halls and multiplexes, two-wheelers are charged a flat Rs.7, four-wheelers Rs.14, commercial vehicles Rs.28, and heavy vehicles Rs.70, irrespective of how long the vehicle is parked. This lack of time-based differentiation has often led to misuse of parking spaces, particularly in high-footfall commercial areas, where vehicles remain parked for extended hours at minimal cost. The revised proposal (as per the tender document) introduces a structured slab system, beginning with a key relief for short stays as parking will be free for up to 10 minutes across all vehicle categories, after which charges will increase progressively. According to the proposal that stands deferred, for two-wheelers, after the first 10 minutes, Rs.10 will be charged for parking up to four hours, Rs.15 for up to eight hours. Beyond eight hours, an additional Rs.5 per hour will be levied. For private four-wheelers, the fee will be Rs.20 for up to four hours and Rs.25 for up to eight hours, along with additional hourly charges beyond that. In February too, the MC house had similarly rejected the agenda for conversion of 213 free parking areas into paid parking sites across the city. Questioning the huge expenditure of Rs.82 lakh for installing 54 CCTVs in Dhanas using ward development funds, former mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said that when other councillors request for CCTVs in their wards from their ward development funds, MC officials deny, saying there is no such provision under this fund. The MC commissioner called for a detailed report from the officials concerned within seven days. The House passed a table agenda, prepared by the mayor demanding that the Central government and the UT administration transfer all municipal functions to the corporation in accordance with the 74th Amendment of the Constitution and the Punjab Capital (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952. The resolution noted that the Punjab Capital (Development and Regulation) Act of 1952 vested many powers related to forestry regulations and land use with the government. At that time, the city's administration was not under a local body system, but Chandigarh now has an elected Municipal Corporation, it noted. Mayor said that if granted, these powers will accelerate the city's development efforts and enable more effective decisions....