BHUBANESWAR: Six youths were held on Wednesday for charging exorbitant parking fees at the Adivasi fair.
Against the official rates of parking for two-wheeler and four-wheeler at ` 2 and ` 4 respectively, visitors were being charged an exorbitant ` 10 for two-wheelers and ` 20 for four-wheelers.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities had received several complaints about the hefty parking fees being collected in the past few days. Visitors too were facing high-handedness. The BMC had lodged an FIR at Capital Police station in this connection but they did not pay any heed.
On Wednesday, Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena personally went to the spot, accompanied by the police and got them rounded up.
The BMC had given the tender for parking to one Surjya Bhanu Mohapatra. “We have issued orders to cancel the licence.”
The BMC has deployed its own staff to man the parking lot at the fair. The six are reportedly students and employed by the contractor.