COIMBATORE: People visiting multiplex theatres, shopping malls and commercial complexes complain that the establishments are collecting exorbitant parking fees. Some malls are collecting up to Rs 30 for two-wheelers and Rs 60 for cars per entry.
Activists said the exorbitant charges collected by contractors and mall administration, forces visitors to park vehicles on the road, resulting in traffic congestion. “Most multiplex theatres are situated inside malls and visitors should pay parking tariff. But, there is no uniform regulation on the determination of the tariff. They collect different charges on weekdays and weekends. For instance, if anyone visits a mall at Saravanampatti even for 15 minutes, a person needs to pay Rs 30 for a bike and Rs 50 for a car. Most of the malls are collecting Rs 20 for bike parking and Rs 40 for cars. A newly opened commercial shopping centre near Lakshmi Mill Junction is collecting parking fees ranging from Rs 20 to Rs 30 for two hours even when customers make purchases from the shops,” said R Gokul, an IT employee from Chettipalyam.
SP Thiyagarajan, a city-based social activist said, “As per norm, parking lot should be provided in any commercial or residential building as per the construction area. Without providing adequate parking space, commercial buildings are being given approval by local bodies and this leads to traffic snarls on roads.”
“The government should make regulations for bringing an affordable and fair tariff for malls and commercial complexes,” he added.
According to sources, the state government issued a GO for fixing parking charges in theatres. As per the order, the charge is Rs 20 for cars, Rs 10 for bikes in corporations, Rs 15 for cars and Rs 7 for bikes in municipalities and Rs 5 and Rs 3 for cars and bikes in town panchayats. However, it was not implemented after the Madras High Court’s intervention in a petition against it.
The HC asked the state government to re-fix the charges in 2021. However, the state government has not done it so far, sources said. When contacted, Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati said that he would look into the issue in consultation with Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation.