The Directorate of Municipal Administration’s (DMA) recent audit report regarding parking projects in Islamabad unshockingly revealed massive amounts of financial irregularities and potential proof of corruption. The fact that the municipal officers were self-collecting instead of auctioning off the contracts to parking spaces in Centaurus, the G-9 bus terminal and the Shakarparian and Daman-i-Koh car parking was in itself the biggest red flag.
Here at home, all vehicle owners are familiar with the parking process at designated spaces; once a spot has been found, an official hands over a ticket from a booklet to the owner. This is essentially a receipt of one’s money going to the municipal administration, instead of being pocketed by those working in the parking area. The number of pages in each booklet are then tallied with the amount received by the administration, which should account for any shortfall.
The parking space is run either by the administration itself, or contracted out to private companies, who charge the government for services and submit the rest of the amount as state revenue.
There is a glaring loophole in this strategy, and this is exactly what was exploited by the suspected corrupt officials in Islamabad. If officials can circumvent the official booklets and use their own, the lack of checks onsite can allow for money to be made on the side, and this is what transpired.
What was happening in Islamabad is not an isolated incident in all likelihood. If this is happening in the capital, other cities and regions with less oversight are probably worse off. The system is dependent on the honesty of those running it, and the opportunity to pocket state revenue made from parking is perhaps too lucrative to be ignored.
The only sure-fire way out of this predicament is digitisation. Parking spaces are either metered or gated across the world, with money collection kept out of the hands of employees to prevent misappropriation. Cities in other countries are raking in millions per year through parking—Canadian city Ottawa made almost $9 million in 2021, and this was still lower than the pre-pandemic levels. This means that not only is the revenue enough to pay for itself, but it can be used in other spheres as well. It is time for provincial governments to look at this avenue for leaking state funds and plug it. We need revenue maximisation and there are too many loopholes in the parking system, when it can be a viable source of revenue for the government.
Here at home, all vehicle owners are familiar with the parking process at designated spaces; once a spot has been found, an official hands over a ticket from a booklet to the owner. This is essentially a receipt of one’s money going to the municipal administration, instead of being pocketed by those working in the parking area. The number of pages in each booklet are then tallied with the amount received by the administration, which should account for any shortfall.
The parking space is run either by the administration itself, or contracted out to private companies, who charge the government for services and submit the rest of the amount as state revenue.
There is a glaring loophole in this strategy, and this is exactly what was exploited by the suspected corrupt officials in Islamabad. If officials can circumvent the official booklets and use their own, the lack of checks onsite can allow for money to be made on the side, and this is what transpired.
What was happening in Islamabad is not an isolated incident in all likelihood. If this is happening in the capital, other cities and regions with less oversight are probably worse off. The system is dependent on the honesty of those running it, and the opportunity to pocket state revenue made from parking is perhaps too lucrative to be ignored.
The only sure-fire way out of this predicament is digitisation. Parking spaces are either metered or gated across the world, with money collection kept out of the hands of employees to prevent misappropriation. Cities in other countries are raking in millions per year through parking—Canadian city Ottawa made almost $9 million in 2021, and this was still lower than the pre-pandemic levels. This means that not only is the revenue enough to pay for itself, but it can be used in other spheres as well. It is time for provincial governments to look at this avenue for leaking state funds and plug it. We need revenue maximisation and there are too many loopholes in the parking system, when it can be a viable source of revenue for the government.
