Tempers soar as shopping mall charges parking fees

Surat: Visitors at a shopping mall located on Surat-Dumas Road came face-to-face with mall management on Thursday after they were made to cough up hefty parking fees in total disregard of the latest order of Gujarat high court which disallows malls, commercial complexes and multiplexes from charging parking fees.
A few people led by a city-based NGO had gone to VR Mall and parked their vehicles in the basement. They were made to cough up parking fees by the parking contractor. The mall management with the help of security guards allegedly pushed them out.
A team of police officers led by deputy commissioner of police, Vidhi Chaudhary, rushed to the mall. Police stated that their department was issuing notices to the malls, commercial complexes and multiplexes asking them to not levy parking fees from the visitors. They will also be given copies of the high court order for their reference.
A division bench of the high court had upheld the state government’s argument that the General Development Control Regulations (GDCR) does not permit private shopping centres to charge parking fees from the visitors. The GDCR mandates the commercial complexes to allocate parking spaces for visitors commensurate with the size and kind of commercial activities taking place there.
Vidhi Chaudhary told TOI, “We have started serving notices to the stakeholders on the parking issue. If police receive any complaint, legal action would be taken against law violators.”
Sanjay Ezhawa, a social activist, told TOI, “I was made to cough up Rs30 as parking charge when I parked my car in the mall’s basement. When I opposed it, the parking contractor summoned the mall manager, who, in turn, shoved me away along with other visitors. I have registered a complaint against the mall management for dishonouring the high court order.”