The Hindu   20.08.2012

Fleecing continues at New Bus Stand parking lot in Salem

S.P.Saravanan

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 

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.