COIMBATORE: The paid parking facility which was opened by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) on Sunday in front of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on the Valankulam lake bund has found very few users. Staff handling the facility said less than 20 motorists used it in the last three days.
Motorists said the charges are high and vehicles continue to be on the road from Lanka Corner up to Classic Tower junction. Also, they slammed the CCMC, CMCH and police saying the parking facility is seen as means to generate income rather than serving people.
Speaking to TNIE on Thursday, M Karthikeyan from Sulur, who had brought his mother for a check-up after her knee replacement surgery, said, “The government-run hospital has barred entry of private vehicles, citing concerns like vehicle theft and space constraints. This forces visitors to park on the road. Soon after, the police began penalising roadside parking. When the situation escalated, the corporation opened paid parking and started enforcing its use.”
He added that many low-income families, including him, rely on bikes to bring sick family members for treatment. “One department is closing its parking while two others are forcing us to pay for parking,” he said.
V Ravikumaran, a college student who has been staying in CMCH to take care of his brother, said if he uses the parking, it will cost around Rs 120 per day. “It is not acceptable to force people to pay for parking while treatment is free. No other government hospitals are lacking in parking. Despite the risk of getting fined, I park my bike on roadside,” he said.
When TNIE visited the parking lot on Thursday morning, not even a single vehicle was there. But outside, thousands of bikes parked on roadside. When asked, a senior official from the corporation said that it was initially planned as a free parking service. “However the entry of the parking lot under the railway area and they also are operating a paid parking system a few metres away from the place. If we open this for free, it will affect their revenue generation. So we fixed the charges. However no one is ready use it and the feedback has been given to superior officials,” he said.