KOCHI: Goods and Services Tax (GST), which was implemented on July 1, brought along with it a wagon full of confusion and apprehensions. The latest to be hit by these apprehensions are those who depend on the railways to travel to and from their places of employment.
With the implementation of GST, the parking fees at the railway stations across the state have gone up by 18 percent, an increase which has completely scrambled the travel expenses of the daily commuters. Commuters now have to shell out more than their train tickets to park their vehicles! The office-goers are now forced to look for alternative parking spaces like the ones run by the Corporation and the private parties.
Criticising the steep hike, commuters said the new rates have severely affected their daily budget plans. “I come all the way from Nagercoil. I used to pay an amount of Rs 200 for the monthly parking pass. But last week I was asked to renew my pass and had to shell out Rs 360. The hike won’t affect me much
but there are others who can’t afford to pay more. This is a huge burden on daily commuters,” said Ramesh Babu, a daily commuter.
The worst affected are two-wheeler riders. The minimum parking fee (for up to two hours) has been increased from Rs 2 to Rs 5. The hike in the fee without making any improvement in the facilities has been criticised severely by the commuters and public alike.
“The roof of the parking lot is damaged and leaks. In some places we have to park our vehicles under the trees and in the open. Hence, I can’t understand the purpose behind increasing the fees,” said Renjith Chandran, a software professional.
At Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, which has a parking area of 4,500 sq ft, covered parking is available only for the railway staff and those who come under the premium category. The new parking area also falls under the premium category. In Kochi, at both North and South Railway Stations the vehicles are left at the mercy of the elements.
The new parking rates are - Rs 5 for two-wheelers, Rs 25 for three-wheelers and cars and Rs 120 for bus and mini-bus up to 2 hours. From 2 to 8 hours, the change in rates are Rs 15, 40 and 250 respectively. For 8 to 24 hours, it is Rs 20, Rs 60 and Rs 360. For 24 to 48 hours, it is Rs 50, Rs 150 and 800. For 48 to 72 hours, it is Rs 100, Rs 250 and Rs 1,200. For monthly pass, the rate is Rs 360 for two-wheelers. No monthly pass is issued for four-wheelers.
“If a passenger parks his car for 24-hours, he has to pay Rs 60. But if he collects his car from the lot at the 25th hour, he has to pay Rs 150 as fee. Just look at the huge margin. Isn’t it daylight robbery?”, asked G Mahesh, an SBI staff who travels daily from Kollam.
Even though the circular regarding the raise in parking fee was issued by the Railways, it is the Kudumbashree workers who are bearing the brunt of the commuters’ ire. “We had to bear verbal abuse from the passengers. They pour out their frustrations on us. What can we do about this? The decision to raise the fee was taken by the Railways,” said Ambili, who looks after the parking bay at Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station.
Unable to face the passengers’ ire the parking attendants approached the railway authorities. “The authorities have asked us to direct those with complaints to the Railway Office,” she added. “This increase is unjustified. So I have decided to use the parking space provided by the Corporation,” said G Velappan, a VSSC staff who comes from Marthandam. The parking lot of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which is located opposite the railway station has not increased its fees. “We have not started including GST rates. So our lot became full within two hours,” Prabhakarn who looks after the corporation parking lot said.
But the same can’t be said for Kochiites. With parking space a non-existent thing in the city, the commuters here will be forced to accept the increased rates. “We have no other options. Hence, we will be forced to use the parking space at the railway stations. Those using the space for long-term parking will find their wallets much lighter,” said Athul K U, a commuter in Kochi.According to Railways, parking tariffs were hiked along with other services since it falls under GST.
“The stations, where parking fees had not been revised earlier, too have been brought under the new tariff plan. For two-wheelers the tax liability has been absorbed by Railways for the first slab without effecting any increase in tariff. Premium parking facilities provided at few stations is not intended for long-term parking. The facility has been provided with an aim to enable a person to park his or her vehicle at close proximity to the station and to ease out last minute rush,” the Railway Public Relation Officer said in a statement.
(With inputs from Anjali Sreekumar, Swetha Soman and Tejaswi K/Kochi)
Tax structure
The rates are inclusive of 18 per cent tax. Hence, 15.254 percent of the total amount will be accounted as GST. The balance amount will be shared as per the agreement with the Kudumbashree units. As per the instructions of Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, the stations having private contractors shall continue to collect the old rate only till the contract period is over. However, till then, extra GST at the rate of 18 per cent may be collected with proper account and remittance, the order said.
‘No drastic raise’
“There hasn’t been any drastic change in parking fees since it had been revised 2 years back. The change is being felt more at the stations where no revisions had been made previously,” said a railway official. Most of the commuters have no issues regarding the revised rates. But there have been stray incidents where some customers refused to pay the new fee. “They just paid the earlier minimum fee and left. We had to shell out the rest of the amount from our purses,” said a Kudumbashree worker, who oversees the parking facility at Ernakulam North Railway Station. Only a few complaints have been received at stations in Ernakulam. But complaints have been pouring in from other stations in the state. The Railway officials plan to review the new tariffs under GST if the situation persists. Prashant, a driver who had come to drop off a customer said, “I don’t see the need to create a fuss about the new rates.”