Pvt parking zones in popular tourist spots rip off visitors

Panaji: While the tourism department has developed parking zones at select beaches, local civic bodies or individuals offering the facility at most stretches and other tourist spots not only overcharge but also do not issue receipts. In fact, parking rates stipulated by civic bodies or private entities are even higher than those at airports or in towns where pay-parking is the norm.
Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte said the government has tried to provide parking spaces in areas where it owns land, but has no say when it comes to the facility being offered by panchayats, even if users are overcharged. “We are in the process of listing beaches that do not have parking facilities and are exploring options to resolve the situation,” Khaunte said.
The issue recently sparked a tussle between the Candolim village panchayat and the tourism department after the former began collecting Rs 100 towards parking fees from each motorist seeking to visit the Aguada jail museum and not issuing receipts. The museum is controlled by the state tourism department.
While Khaunte said his department is aware of the anomaly and will take action, Candolim Sarpanch Blaize Fernandes has justified the imposition of parking fees, stating that vehicles are parked within the panchayat’s jurisdiction.
An official of the state tourism department said that tourists and others are made to shell out hefty amounts towards parking fees in many areas, but it is unclear if the total amount collected ultimately reaches the coffers of the civic body concerned. “We have seen pay-parking scams in the state capital itself, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there are similar occurrences elsewhere,” the official said.
For individuals who own a piece of land close to a tourist spot where the tourism department has none, pay-parking can be a luc-rative business. “Some such areas charge Rs 200 and above for just an hour. People, especially tourists who are not familiar with the area, are therefore left with no option but to use the facility and shell out the amount demanded without protesting,” the tourism official said.
Such makeshift parking spaces are usually bereft of signage and rate charts, and are usually under-illuminated too. The official said many of these are created by clearing trees and foliage and then levelling the area, with the parking zone at the entrance of Arambol beach being an apt example.