CHENNAI: Amid a flood of complaints over the unhygienic conditions at the restrooms in highway motels, the state transport department has decided to permit motels on state or national highways to collect a nominal fee of Rs 5 from their patrons.
Acting at the request of highway motels, who rued over being overwhelmed by exorbitant maintenance expenses, the transport department has now allowed motel owners to collect a nominal fee of Rs 5 per person, revealed an official statement.
Additionally, the transport department has specified that government buses should only stop on the left side of highways, disallowing them from making U-turns to reach motels. The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) recently invited bids for parking spaces for government buses at motels along the state or national highways.
According to official documents, motels must issue computerised bills and be disallowed from selling packaged products above the maximum retail price (MRP). Each motel is required to pay `68 lakh to secure the stoppage of government buses for a period of two years.