The Hindu 20.08.2012
Fleecing continues at New Bus Stand parking lot in Salem
A raw deal for vehicle owners:Vehicles outside the parking stand for which the contractor collects parking fee and (right) a token issued to a vehicle owner does not record the parking fee amount .-Photos: P. Goutham and E. Lakshmi Narayanan
Though rate fixed is Rs. 3 per day, contractor collects Rs. 5 and issues token without payment details
Fleecing motorists and collecting fee for unauthorised parking – by the private contractor in the Salem New Integrated Bus Stand premises – continues as the City Municipal Corporation has failed to take any action.
As part of the three-year contract period, the contractor pays a sum of Rs. 1.20 lakh to the corporation and the civic body had fixed Rs. 3 as the fee for a day’s parking.
But, the contractor is collecting Rs. 5 from motorists and issues a token that has no details about the parking fee.As per the contract, a display board showing the parking fee for each day should be kept at a visible point at the stand. However, there is no such board at the place.
Fleecing of the public came to light when the parking fee board emerged during the civic body drive against encroachment recently and vanished after the drive.The stand with a vehicle parking capacity of 600 is facing a space crunch, with around 1,000 vehicles crowded inside, causing damage and putting safety in peril.
There are no fire prevention measures at the stand and fire extinguishers are not available in case of emergency. Vehicles are parked hazardously even in the available space. Another 200 vehicles are parked outside the stand for which the contractor also collects Rs. 5 per vehicle.
Though a warning board placed by the civic body warns of seizure of vehicles parked in the unauthorised area, vehicles continue to be parked and fee is collected.
This leaves little space for passengers entering the bus stand who have to walk through the little space available. Due to space crunch, vehicles have to be parked outside as continuous requests to the Corporation to allot more space did not yield any result, a worker at the stand said. The civic body recently removed the vehicles parked in the unauthorised area. But non-availability of space and failure to take stringent measures has led to fleecing of the public and prevention of unauthorised parking on the premises.