Nashik Municipal Corporation floats bids for pay-and-park scheme for fifth time; adds towing clause to boost interest

Nashik: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has issued bids for its pay-and-park project for the fifth time after repeatedly receiving poor responses from contractors. The civic body has now expanded the scope of the contract to include towing of vehicles found parked in no-parking zones to make the initiative more attractive and financially sustainable.The deadline for submitting bids is March 27, after which they will be opened. Parking charges have been finalised — two-wheelers will be charged Rs 10 for the first two hours and Rs 20 for two to six hours, while three- and four-wheelers will pay Rs 20 for the first two hours and Rs 40 for two to six hours.Under the first phase, NMC plans to operate pay-and-park services at 28 locations across central Nashik, comprising 22 onstreet and six offstreet sites. The contract will run for five years and three months, including a three-month implementation window, and may be extended by an additional two years. The selected contractor will be responsible for setting up the full parking system and deploying manpower and vehicles for towing operations at designated no-parking spots listed in the tender.With the Nashik RTO's jurisdiction now home to nearly 23 lakh vehicles as of March 31, 2025, the city's parking infrastructure is severely strained. Civic officials said the rapid surge in vehicular numbers, without corresponding parking expansion, had resulted in congestion, mobility issues and widespread traffic violations.NMC officials said they have floated bids for the fifth time to operate pay-and-park spaces at around 26 locations in the Nashik West division of the municipal corporation, which covers the major market areas of the city and remains consistently overcrowded.The officials said bids had been reissued for around 26 locations in the Nashik West division, which housed some of the city's busiest commercial zones and routinely faces heavy crowding. "Earlier, we received inadequate responses. In the last round, five agencies applied but were disqualified due to incomplete documentation. This time, we anticipate a stronger response and are hopeful of finalising a competent contractor," an official said.To prevent spillover parking near authorised sites, the civic body will enforce strict no-parking zones within a 150-200-metre radius of each pay-and-park spot. Vehicles parked in violation will be towed. Penalties have been fixed at Rs 600 for two- and three-wheelers, Rs 725 for cars and jeeps, and between Rs 1,100 and Rs 2,000 for heavy passenger vehicles. The officials emphasised that these measures aimed to improve compliance and ease traffic movement.