Overcharging goes unabated at Mini-Secretariat parking lot

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 2

As the authorities concerned have failed to take any concrete action, the staff of the private contractor overcharge fee from visitors at the multi-storey parking lot, under the district administration, at the Mini-Secretariat on the Ferozepur road without any fear of the law.

Against the fixed parking fee of Rs10 for scooter/motorcycle and Rs20 for car, the contractor’s staff is charging Rs30 for parking two-wheelers and Rs50 for four-wheelers during the normal working hours (8.30 am to 5:30 pm).

As per the agreement conditions, the contractor can charge a three times fee after 5:30 pm, but visitors are forced to pay Rs60 or even more as the parking charges for two-wheeler after 5:30 pm.

A city resident Mukesh Arora said, “Recently, I parked my motorcycle at the multi-storey parking and paidRs30 during normal working hours. When I objected to overcharging, five to seven men deployed by the contractor came and stood around me. They forced me to pay Rs30. The authorities concerned should act to stop this kind of harassment of visitors.”

As per the norms, the contractor is supposed to display a parking fee list at the lot. Moreover, the contractor has to issue tickets using a token machine, but manual tickets san parking fee are given to visitors. Besides, the complete vehicle number is not mentioned on tickets.

Ahbaab Singh Grewal, AAP Punjab spokesperson, said, “Despite raising the issue many times, no action is being taken against overcharging at various parking lots by departments concerned. It shows ongoing nexus between contractors and officials.”

Earlier, a road safety activist Rahul Verma had accused the staff of the multi-storey parking lot at the Mini Secretariat of overcharging and manhandling him. Verma had raised voice against overcharging ‘when the staff asked him to pay Rs50 for car parking’.

He had also given a complaint to the police in this regard but still, there is no check on fleecing of visitors at the multi-storey parking lot.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said he would take a strict action against contractor for overcharging at the parking lot.