Pune: After receiving many complaints from passengers at the Pune railway station regarding the high parking charge for two-wheelers, the railway administration has reduced it from Rs 20 to Rs 10 for the first two hours.
Passengers and activists have been complaining about the ‘exorbitant’ parking fee for the past two years. However, passengers travelling to Mumbai, who park their two-wheelers there, have to pay around Rs 120 for over 12 hours.
Visitors have also alleged that the parking contractor also ‘extorted’ Rs 20 from the visitors, who reach the station just to pick up or drop guests, without even using the parking area. In fact, members of the Passenger Amenities Committee, set up by the Railway Ministry, too, had taken cognisance of the harassment of passengers and had also directed the Pune Divisional Manager to cancel the contract, if matters didn’t see an improvement.
A senior official from the railway administration said that the parking charges have been revised after floating a fresh contract, following a change in the parking policy. The new contract came into effect from August 8, bringing down the parking charges.
Earlier, it was Rs 20 for four hours and Rs 10 for every additional one hour. Those who parked their two-wheelers for over 8 to 12 hours were paying Rs 60. Now, they will have to pay Rs 120 for the same.
Rohit Surana, a passenger who travels to Mumbai frequently, paid Rs 120. He said, “Earlier, it was Rs 60 for eight hours and above. On August 23, I paid Rs 120 for parking my scooter for 13 hours. The minimum fee has been reduced to Rs 10 for two hours. Earlier, it was Rs 20,” said Manoj Jhanvar, spokesperson, Pune Division.
Harsha Shah of Railway Pravasi Group welcomed the decision. She said it would only be fruitful if they make it mandatory for the contractor to issue digital tickets. The contractor is known for fleecing visitors and threatening them.
“Although the rates have been revised, very few people are aware of it. The contractor is still issuing printed receipts, which still have Rs 20 as the minimum charge. The railway administration should make it compulsory for the contractor to issue electronically generated tickets, which will help in curbing the fleecing of passengers,” said Shah.
