The High Court has taken up the matter relating to illegal parking charges levied from visitors at some hospitals, business enterprises, malls, and movie theatres under the cover of maintenance, security or other purposes, which is in violation of municipal laws. The court turned its prior orders prohibiting collection of such charges into a PIL and scheduled a hearing on Monday.
According to the PIL, the municipal authorities will provide building authorisation or a business licence after ensuring that appropriate parking space is supplied. However, hospitals, business institutions, malls, among others, charge exorbitant parking fees under the pretence of maintenance, security, or other reasons. Municipal authorities, police, labour, fire, and other government departments are turning a blind eye to the alleged illegal collection of parking fees by these groups.
The plea also cited a judgement delivered by the High Court way back in 2003. “In the case of multi-storied commercial complexes, the builder/owner has implicitly accepted under law by reason of building permission and other provisions to keep parking places for the use of visitors to the complex, and thus builders/owners of their licensees cannot charge any fees,” the court had said while disposing of a case between Ch Madan Mohan vs Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad.