PUNE: The Pune Railway Division handed over the parking to Indian Railway Station Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) recently and it will be managed by the Bharat Vikas Group (BVG). In February, the IRSDC signed an agreement with the Bharat Vikas Group (BVG), making the company responsible for various maintenance works at the station.
Sources from the division said, “The parking was handed over to the IRSDC last week. There was a meeting at the divisional office, where officials from IRSDC, BVG and senior railway officials were present.”
There are two parking spots at Pune Junction, one known as premier parking and the other is situated behind the Passengers Reservation System (PRS) office.
During peak hours, most of the passengers use the premier parking to park their vehicles. This parking lot is close to the main entrance of platform number one.
However, it is not clear whether the parking charge will be hiked or not. The senior officer said it is up to the IRSDC whether to hike the prices or not. The IRSDC has handed over the Pune Junction to BVG for maintenance and parking facility falls under the agreement.
The parking behind the PRS office and running room for pilots is situated on about 4,000 sq metres. In the year 2018-19, the revenue generated was Rs 40 lakh through parking fees alone. The premier parking in front of the main entrance and near the Mahatma Gandhi statue were allotted for 410.88 sq metres for two-wheelers and 2584.1 sq metres for four-wheelers. The parking facilities generated Rs 72 lakh in 2018-19 for two-wheelers and Rs 70 lakh for four-wheelers.
The Railways has received several complaints about overcharging for parking by the contractor during peak hours. “The contractor charged Rs 20 per hour for two-wheelers which is illegal and Rs 100 for four-wheelers.”
In fact, when the commercial vehicles pick up passengers from the pick and drop lane at the junction they also charge Rs 20 per car, which is not legal. We have imposed a fine on the contractor, but it’s their routine work,” said a highly placed source.
A resident of Lohegaon, Irshad Ansari said, “Last week I was at the Pune Junction to drop my relatives. The contractor charged me Rs 20 for one hour. When I asked about the hike, he replied that charges have been increased. When the rate chart in parking area was pointed out he charged Rs 10. I hope that if the IRSDC has taken over the parking contract they will not overcharge or modify the rate.”
