Sindh govt abolishes all parking fees on Karachi's public roads

• KMC, govt departments barred from roadside fee collection.
• Strict action warned against illegal fee collection practices.
• 46 KMC roads made fee-free ahead of full ban.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has issued a notification abolishing all parking fees on public roads across Karachi, marking a significant shift in urban parking policy.

According to the notification, no government agency under the Sindh government, including the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), is authorised to collect parking charges on roads within city limits.

As per the notification, parking charges may now only be collected in designated areas such as plazas, private plots or specific parking zones managed by respective local councils.

Any individual or organisation found charging citizens for parking on public roads will face strict legal action, the notification said.

The move followed a decision to abolish parking fees on 46 KMC-controlled roads implemented earlier this month.

"This decision has been taken in the public interest," said Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab in a statement in February announcing the decision, "[…] as the KMC is now standing on its own feet." He was referring to improvement in the financial situation of the metropolitan corporation.

He added that after achieving financial stability, the corporation does not need to collect Rs40-50 million via parking fees as it has more than Rs2 billion in its bank account.

Wahab had previously claimed that the KMC had earned a "record-breaking Rs2.3 billion revenue" in just seven months, witnessing a 300% increase in earnings while 751 development projects were in progress.