Chandigarh, June 25 -- In a significant step towards addressing the city's ongoing parking challenges, around 20 councillors from various parties attended an all-party meeting convened by mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla on Tuesday to discuss the much-anticipated Smart Parking project. Held just days before the June 30 General House meeting, the session saw modest participation as councillors reviewed the revised blueprint for the city's AI-based parking initiative. The fresh proposal came nearly three months after the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) house scrapped the previous version of the Smart Parking project, citing execution and infrastructure gaps. The re-imagined project, drafted by the parking committee of the civic body chaired by councillor Saurabh Joshi, aims to implement artificial intelligence-based, state-of-the-art facilities across 89 parking lots in the city to streamline traffic flow and enhance parking convenience for residents. As per the project proposal, the revamped project will have an AI-enabled parking management and monitoring, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), real-time space availability tracking, dynamic pricing and demand-based slot allocation, pre-booking options for convenience, live status updates via mobile app and digital displays, integrated digital payment solutions, centralised command and control centre, "pink periphery zones" for women's safety, dedicated spaces for persons with disabilities, EV charging stations at multiple sites, valet parking services at select locations, energy-efficient lighting and infrastructure, and emergency features including SOS alerts and dedicated lanes. The software support for these systems is proposed to come from the Society for Promotion of IT in Chandigarh (SPIC). Additionally, there have been deliberations on data protection protocols, revenue-sharing models, inclusion of GST and stamp duties, and a new fee structure. During the meeting, Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi raised concerns regarding the implementation timeline and profit-first approach of past contractors. "The MC is proposing that the firm allotted the tender can begin charging revised rates within 90 days and then upgrade the infrastructure. But based on past experience, these companies start collecting money without completing the infrastructure set up. This time, priority must be given to completing the infrastructure first," Gabi said. Notably, on April 27, the House approved a hike in parking rates, which will come into effect once the smart system is rolled out. According to the new structure, parking will remain free for the first 15 minutes at all 89 MC-managed lots - a move aimed at easing quick-turnaround visits and improving vehicle circulation. For longer duration, four-wheelers will be charged Rs.20 for up to four hours, up from the current Rs.14. Two-wheeler users will pay Rs.10, a rise from Rs.7. Premium rates of Rs.85 for the first four hours have been proposed for high-traffic commercial hubs such as Elante Mall, Fun Republic, and Piccadily Square, making them the most expensive parking spots in the city. AAP councillor Prem Lata said, "Suggestions were given to ensure that the parking staff wear uniform, with their names and contact numbers printed on it. Also, vacant spaces of MC should be converted into parking lots. Also, reserving the parking space using an online booking method can be tricky as space will remain un-utilised for hours, and long waiting queues will be seen on city roads." Congress councillor Sachin Galav and other party councillors staged a walkout from the meeting for protesting against the administration for organising a political event. "Chandigarh administration and BJP should be ashamed of holding events like 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' while doing nothing for the city. The same BJP that brings unconstitutional ordinances, misuses ED and CBI, crushes dissent, and runs parliament without debate, talks about saving the constitution? hypocrisy at its peak," Galav said....