KARACHI: In a major shift in city parking policy, the government of Sindh has decided to abolish all parking fees on public roads across Karachi, according to a notification.
No authority of the Sindh government, including the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), will charge for the parking fees.
According to the notification, anyone or any organization found to be charging residents for parking on public roads will be subject to severe legal action.
The action came after a decision earlier this month to eliminate parking fees on 46 KMC-controlled highways.
“This decision has been taken in the public interest,” stated Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab in a February statement announcing the decision, “as the KMC is now standing on its own feet.” He was speaking of the metropolitan corporation’s improved financial status.
He continued by saying that the company has more than Rs2 billion in its bank account and does not need to collect Rs40–50 million in parking fees after it has achieved financial stability.
According to Wahab’s earlier claims, the KMC saw a 300% increase in earnings while 751 development projects were underway, generating a “record-breaking Rs2.3 billion revenue” in just seven months.
