SCAMSTERS INC.

Vehicle owners seems to be paying much more than what parking contractors are supposed to collect

When Ganesh Desai, a youth from Girgaum, parked his bike outside Mumbai Central station for less than an hour, he thought it will cost him Rs1, as per the rule. But he was charged Rs5 and the receipt denied. His resistance turned into a skirmish with the attendant, who eventually denied parking to Ganesh.

Like Ganesh, every biker and vehicle owner face the flouting of the pay-and-park rules by contractors, but only few motorists realise that they are being cheated. Activists in this field feel that motorists are being looted off lakhs of rupees per day.

Mohammed Afzal, an activist with the Welfare Organisation for Road Safety and Prevention, an NGO, went inspecting some of the pay-and-park lots across the city, and found major flouting by contractors. In some cases, the vehicle owners were charged anything between Rs20 and Rs80 for one hour against the tarriff of Rs8 per hour. People, unknowing to the actual rates, simply pay what an attendant asks for as most of them don’t know the charges or don’t bother to enquire with the attendants about them.

BMC’s tender compliance categorically mentions that the contractor should display the tariff card in such a manner and form that it is easily visible to motorists. Many a times, contractors don’t bother to put up such boards, and even if it exists, he ensures that they are not easily seen. In some cases, the rates mentioned have purposely been blurred or blackened.

Source: DNA Mumbai