Islamabad, Sep 17: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has implemented Islamabad’s first-ever digital vehicle parking system, beginning in G-8 Markaz.
As to facts, CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa inaugurated the digital parking system during a visit to G-8 Markaz. Member Nauman Khalid, who specializes in technology and digitization, gave a thorough briefing on the project’s execution and future plan. For the first ten days, CDA is offering the service free of charge in an effort to promote public involvement. In the first phase, residents can become acquainted with the available digital payment choices and learn more about the new system.
Similar digital parking systems will be activated by the CDA by September 25 at other strategic locations, including the F-7 district and the parking lot next to Centaurus Mall. The Blue Area parking plaza, which is now under development, will be one of the business areas where digital parking will be extended in the following phase.
Users of the CDA’s digital parking system have access to a number of payment methods, including as cash deposits via machines, credit and debit cards, QR codes, and scratch cards. According to CDA Chairman Randhawa, “the money made from this system will be reinvested into upgrading the same market, ensuring continuous improvement.” He added that the city’s economy will be stimulated and local companies will benefit from the digital parking scheme.
The project has a five-year contract that has been issued to a joint venture between Chinese and Pakistani enterprises. As per the terms of the agreement, the contractor will receive 25% of the revenue and CDA will receive 75%. Parking will be free for the first fifteen minutes in order to accommodate fast stops for modest purchases or trips to the ATM.
The management of parking operations by the CDA’s Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) has come under fire for suspected corruption in the manual collecting of fees. Substantial anomalies found during an audit in 2022 prompted an investigation into revenue loss and mismanagement. The audit discovered that parking payments weren’t properly recorded for at significant locations like Shakarparian, Daman-i-Koh, and Centaurus.
It is anticipated that the digital system will close the gaps found in earlier audits, which resulted in losses exceeding PKR 82 million for CDA and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI). The shift to a digital platform will increase accountability for the city’s parking management system and provide real-time tracking of parking payments.
The CDA and MCI established an inquiry committee to look into and address these problems as part of the ongoing efforts, but the findings have not yet been made public.
