KOCHI: Despite the efforts taken by the authorities, the lack of proper parking facilities is still continuing to be a vexing issue at the two major Railway stations in the city-Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction. The issue mainly affects people who park their vehicles at these railway stations everyday. The lack of proper roofing, coupled with the increasing number of vehicles are making it difficult for them to find a proper parking place, especially for two wheelers. People have to park their vehicles in the open under the huge rain trees that dot the place, leaving them to the mercy of the forces of nature and the winged friends. The vehicles which bear the brunt of the climatic extremes frequently develop various technical stags.
Exorbitant parking fee is another issue being faced by the passengers. The fee for parking a two wheelers for 2 hour at the front gate is `5 and back gate is `6. While for cars, it is `10 and `12. Monthly concession is provided only for bikes but not for cars and other vehicles. The only reason why passengers depend on the Railway parking is because of the assured security.
“We don’t mind giving money if the railway provides parking facilities that are worthy of it. Besides paid parking it is the responsibility of Indian Railways to provide free parking space for those who want to park their vehicle for a short period of time,” said Joseph, a resident of Kadavanthra who is a regular traveller.
At the east gate parking area of the South Railway station, the vehicles are parked along the roads and even under NO PARKING sign boards because of the limited parking space. Also, bikers who come to drop their relatives end up parking their vehicles near the main entrance due to lack of parking space and this in turn leads to traffic congestion. The parking contractor is often seen making use of the additional space to accommodate more vehicles. There are also abandoned vehicles that limit the space further.
“As the number of commuters and the number of vehicles have increased, the parking space allotted by railway is proving to be inadequate,” said Rajan, an advocate from North.
The parking contract is being undertaken by ‘Kudumbashree’ since October 2014. In spite of their being vigilant, theft of vehicles, especially bikes have been often reported. The staff said that they had asked the authorities to provide shelters for parking in order to prevent damages to vehicles but they haven’t taken any actions. It was following the increasing number of complaints against the parking lot contractors at the major Railway Stations in the district, that the Southern Railway authorities decided to entrust Kudumbasree with the management of spaces.