THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Despite the corporation coming up with a by-law to regularise fee for private parking spaces in the city limits, customers are still being fleeced by commericial establishments, theatres and hospitals. The fee is charged depending on the type of vehicle, the duration of the vehicle being parked and the type of slot provided. According to the by-law, it is `8 for motor vehicles, `12 for autorickshaws, `15 for a small car, `20 for a big car, `25 for a minivan, `30 for minibus, `40 for a bus or lorry and `80 for big trucks.
However, this exists only on the paper. “The hospitals are supposed to provide the service for free. But, even they charge money for parking. The issue remains the same at shopping complexes, film theatres and even at restaurants,” said Ajay Kumar S, who works with an IT firm.
He cites an incident of an unorganised parking facility at a theatre near Thampanoor. “The whole parking system was so messed up that I had to wait for the cars in front of mine to leave before I could start mine. They charged me extra too,” said Ajay.
The exorbitant charges force many to turn public roads into parking slots, clogging the streets. “Whenever I go out to a particular mall in the city, I try to avoid parking on their slots because they charge `50 for a car and `20 for bikes, for three hours. Not everybody can afford them,” said Shyam Krishnan from Ulloor.
While a hospital at Pattom allots parking space depending on the vehicle, the Wax Museum at East Fort charges `150 for small cars. As for KSRTC’s parking lot at East Fort, it is `50 for small cars.
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravikumar said, “The private parking facilities have been regulated. The licence for private parking has been regularised and made mandatory. We have not yet received any complaints regarding the parking fee issue yet. But, we will definitely look into the issue.”