Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: The development authority has decided to regulate parking fees outside parks under its jurisdiction.

In the first phase, visitors to the Indira Gandhi Park and the Biju Patnaik Park will have to pay for parking cars and two-wheelers outside these facilities. The operators will collect parking fee of Rs 5 for two-wheelers and Rs 10 for four-wheelers for four hours.

While the decision was taken last month, the private operators, to be selected by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority though a bidding process, would start maintaining the parking lots outside the two parks by December end.

'We have invited proposals to select parking operators for the two parks. The parking lots will be auctioned like it is done by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The selected operator will collect the fees, according to the prices fixed under the Bhubaneswar Parking Regulation, 2015,' said the authority's chief horticulturist Ashoka Nanda Dhar.

Sources said the parking lot outside the Biju Patnaik Park would be allotted to a contractor for Rs 3.60 lakh a year, while the annual rate for the one at Indira Gandhi Park would be Rs 3.31 lakh. The selected operator will be held responsible for loss or theft of vehicles from parking lots.

Earlier, parking services outside the parks was unregulated, leading to complaints about vehicle loss and theft.

Though a section of people feel parking should be free, others have welcomed the decision of a regulated system.

'It is a good move to regulate the parking service at the lots available outside the parks. We visit parks to spend some leisure time, but there is always the fear of car theft from outside the parks. We are ready to pay the fees, but they need to ensure that our vehicles are in safe hands,' said Rasulgarh resident Suramya Mishra.

Unit-V resident Chintamani Jena, however, said the parking lots should be guarded.

'The administration is only coming up with ideas to fleece us. It is their duty to provide commuters proper and free parking outside the parks. It is a public place and should be free from such arbitrary fees,' said Jena, a businessman.