Allegations have surfaced that the Akshaya Centre at the Civil Station, Kakkanad, is fleecing the public. According to many, altercation between the public and Akshaya officials have become very common. “Most of us who come here have to face humiliation. We are exploited financially,” says Sudha, a native of Pachalam. The Akshaya Centres have facilities for e-payment and availing forms for several government projects. “The Akshaya Centre at civil station charges an exorbitant rate for its services. This is a violation of government directives. Besides, the officials treat the public in a disrespectful manner. This is when the government charges nothing for room rent and electricity charges so that the public benefits the best,” said a Revenue official. The official added the Akshaya Centre was fleecing those who come up with applications to write off interests for education loans. “Over 8,000 such applications were received. The charge per application is `5. But, the Akshaya Centre was charging `10-`15 from several applicants. Same is the case with documents related to Aadhar card,” the official said. There is a huge anomaly in carrying out works related with the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD). According to norms, only `16 can be charged for services amounting to `1,000. But, there are allegations that the centre is charging over `30. “In some cases like payment of tax, they charge more than `100,” said Nasser who heads the RTO Agents Association. When contacted, Ibrahim Khan, district assistant coordinator, Akshaya confirmed that he has received verbal complaints about the financial exploitation. “However, I haven’t got a single written complaint. It is not possible to take action without a written complaint,” he said. He added that the administration has fixed specific amount as service charge. “Technically, the Akshaya Centres should display the amount for every service near the centre. The public should make sure this happens,” Khan added. However Vinod, manager of the Akshaya Centre, denied the allegations. “We are not charging exorbitant rate. In some cases, we round up the amount as there is a shortage of exact change,” he said.