Communities Minister cannot confirm or deny suspension of Parking Meter Project

Following reports in the media that cabinet has recommended the suspension of the Parking Meter Project, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan tonight told News Room that he cannot confirm or deny the report.

For the past few weeks, the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) has been holding protests in the vicinity of City Hall as it calls for the quashing of the contract between the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and Smart City Solutions (SCS).

The Group along with hundreds of concerned citizens from different classes, occupations and ethnicity are condemning the project on the basis of the lack of transparency and the hardships it will impose on the average public servant.

Calls are mounting for an immediate halt to the project. The Government has opted to allow the autonomy of the M&CC to prevail claiming respect for the Local Government process, however, the Private Sector Commission and other bodies have called on Central Government to intervene in the interest of the citizens.

The media report which surfaced this evening said the decision, by Central Government, was made at today’s cabinet meeting and that Minister Bulkan has been tasked with informing the M&CC of said decision.

The report also states that Government would like to see more consultations, a review of the contract and the system, something the MAPM has also been calling for.