HYDERABAD: The next time you drop someone off at the Secunderabad Railway Station, make sure that the passenger gets out of the vehicle quickly and that you leave the premises within eight minutes. Otherwise, you will end up paying Rs 500 as penalty.
The normal parking charge at the station is Rs 50 for car and Rs 15 for bike for two hours. For every subsequent hour, it is Rs 25 and Rs 10 respectively. Termed as the parking ‘access control’ system, the levy of penalty came into effect in 2019 and is being implemented at Terminal No.2 (Platform no. 10). But the issue caught public attention recently as the railway footfall increased after the second lockdown.
This practice is said to be borrowed from airports, but it does not mention why there’s a hefty penalty, passed off as ‘parking charges’ with the SGST (9%) and CGST (9%) bringing it to a total of Rs 500. “We were awarded the contract this August by the IRSDC (Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited) and it clearly cites scope for such a provision. Even airports have adopted similar norms. This will also be implemented on the other side (the station’s main gate) in the coming days,” said K Sainath, parking manager at Rakshak Securities Private Ltd.
The railway authorities describe this as a measure to curb illegal parking and make way for train commuters. “This is to control unruly cabbies who stay for long and cause traffic problems on the stretch,” explained an official.
Presently, at the main entrance of the station, the traffic police ensure the free flow of vehicles. Cab drivers said that they drop passengers several metres away from station over fear of being penalised. “This has been a practice for some time. As we are aware of this, we stay away from the premises, but it is denting our prospects,” said Abdul Raheem, a cab driver.