BMC tenders parked for over 2 yrs, chaos reigns on roads

Bhopal: The city’s parking mess continues to fester as Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s tenders remain unexecuted for more than two and a half years, despite being floated every four to six months. The result is a familiar scene—congestion, illegal roadside parking, and growing public frustration—while the civic body’s revenue stream steadily erodes.

The financial decline is stark. In 2023, when BMC made all parking free except premium sites, collections touched ₹1.84 crore. But after reversing that decision and reinstating paid parking citywide, revenue fell instead of rising, dropping to ₹1.2 crore in 2024–25.

“About the new tenders I am not sure, it will take a month,” said Jagdish Yadav, corporator and MiC in charge of revenue, acknowledging the delay. Effectively since the new BMC election, city has yet to get a full fledged parking tender executed.

On the ground, contradictions are aplenty. The premium stretch at New Market accommodates 64 vehicles, but operators have blocked a third lane and entry to the marketplace. “BMC and others are well aware of the situation. Without officials being in the loop the situation cannot happen,” alleged a New Market businessman. Traders themselves have faced repeated violations for encroaching on pedestrian pathways and failing to use the multilevel parking facility.

With tenders unapproved, BMC is missing out on authorized collections. Yadav’s defense is that “infrastructure remains in place and parking continues on the ground.”

But without contracts, the city loses legitimate revenue while enforcement gaps widen. For residents, the consequences are immediate—cars spilling onto narrow lanes, two-wheelers jostling for space, and pedestrians navigating unsafe stretches.

The stakes are rising as Bhopal looks ahead to new services like e-buses funded by the Union government. In such projects, operators are guaranteed payments, and if BMC fails to meet obligations, the amount would be drawn from the corporation’s central fund—potentially affecting other infrastructure projects. In theory, this makes boosting revenue streams like parking all the more critical, according to experts.