Railway parking lot contractor penalised

COIMBATORE:: The parking contractor at the city railway station has been penalised for overcharging and allowing passengers to use the facility for more than 24 hours. As per the norms, cars and other vehicles can be parked at the lot for a maximum of 12 hours. But the contractor had been allowing people to park vehicles for more hours to pocket extra money.
On Friday, Urmila Chordia, who was returning after a two-day trip, was shocked when the contractor asked her to pay an extra Rs 120. “We had parked our car on May 22 at 9pm. We were not aware that we cannot park for more than 12 hours. The contractor asked us to pay Rs 360 and since we were in a hurry to catch the train, we paid it. If he had said it is not permitted, we would have parked outside at some private parking lot,” she said. But despite that, he continued to seek more money, she told TOI.

“He used abusive language and did not allow us to go. That was when we decided to file a complaint against him,” Urmila said.

As per rules, for four wheelers such as cars, Rs 25 is charged for four hours. Above four hours upto 12 hours, Rs 60 is charged. For heavy vehicles, Rs 120 is charged for four hours and upto 12 hours, Rs 240 is charged. The facility can not be used for more than 12 hours.

Deputy commercial manager Pankaj Kumar, who reached the spot immediately, said that it was against the norms. “There is no provision for such a charge. Parking lot contractors often take advantage of passengers and make excess money. We will take action against the contractor and also ensure such incidents are not repeated,” he said.

The contractor, identified as Ranjith, was also summoned by railway authorities. “We will set up notice boards near the entrance and at several locations to ensure that the passengers are aware of the rules. We are also working to improve the entire parking system and make it electronic,” said an official.

Urmila added that most often, passengers just pay and leave as they want to avoid an argument. “They continue to fleece people. We wanted to ensure this does not happen to others,” she added.