The introduction of parking fee collection system in Paro Thromde has not been well received by the residents and shopkeepers. The Paro Municipal implemented the system from 1 February this year.
The municipal office has given the responsibility of collecting parking fees to a private firm named ‘MS Brother’s Workshop.’ They charge people if cars are parked on any vacant government land within the thromde area.
For regular users, they collect parking fee of Nu 3500 per car in a month through a prepaid fee system. But people complained that it’s a hefty amount and requested the Thromde Ngotshab to propose for fee reduction to the operator. Heeding to the request, Thromde Ngotshab pleaded the operator to reduce the fees, and accordingly it was brought down to Nu 2000. However, citing high house rents, people further sought cuts in the fee. But, MS Brother’s Workshop declined it.
“We cannot reduce further than Nu 2000. We have to bear other operational costs, pay monthly salaries to staff and also pay rental charges of our office,” said owner of MS Brother’s Workshop. Parking fee collectors complain that some car owners are behaving unruly with them when they ask for parking charges.
“Drivers secretly take out the fee ticket from car’s windshield and argue with us that they will not pay even Nu 5-10,” said one of the parking fee collectors, Ganesh Darjee.
However, the brighter side of the initiative is that it has decongested the Paro Town. Traffic is smooth like never before and for those people residing out the town’s premises, getting a space to park their cars is no longer a problem now.
Vehicles are charged Nu 10 for 30 minutes of parking in the main town. Parking cars near Gaden Cinema Hall will cost Nu 5 for half an hour. The decision to introduce parking fee collection system in Paro Thromde was finalised during the Dzongkhag Tshogdu meeting convened in September last year.
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