The Hindu 30.04.2010
Corporation warns against fleecing at parking lots
Special Correspondent
| Will impose a heavy fine or cancel the lease: Commissioner |
Photo: M. Periasamy 
Trouble zone:Parking lots in the city are under the scanner following complaints of fleecing. —
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has warned lessees of parking lots and public toilets of stringent action if they were found to collect user fee in excess of the one fixed by the civic body. The Corporation will impose a heavy fine or cancel the lease, Commissioner Anshul Mishra said in a press release issued on Thursday.
This follows complaints of excess collection at the lots and toilets received by the Corporation. Mr. Mishra had ordered surprise checks across the city to detect the malpractice.
Excess collection was detected during a surprise check at a two-wheeler parking lot. The lessee was fined Rs.25,000.
The Corporation adopted e-auction system for the first time this year to lease out the public utility facilities.
While the e-auction was to ensure transparency in the system by doing away with cartelisation, the parking lots remained a source of concern as those parking vehicles were being taken for a ride.
The release said boards displaying the fee fixed by the Corporation should be displayed at all the parking lots, public toilets and also markets where an entry fee was being collected for vehicles.
Officials said the parking lots and public toilets in all the four zones of the Corporation were being watched closely to detect cases of fleecing.
The city had six parking lots and 26 public toilets. Billing machines had been provided to most of them recently.
The lessees had been told to use these and so far this system was working well, the Commissioner said.
Coupons with the seal of the Corporation could be issued wherever the billing machined were not provided. Asked about the drive, the Commissioner said the lessees had forced the civic body to resort to it with the excess collection.
