Vehicle owners being fleeced

IS IT a laxity of the railway authorities or the 'connections' of the parking stand contractors which has led to their over-charging the vehicle owners with impunity right under the nose of the Railway administration.

IS IT a laxity of the railway authorities or the 'connections' of the parking stand contractors which has led to their over-charging the vehicle owners with impunity right under the nose of the Railway administration.

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Thanks to no checks put in place by the railway authorities, these contractors are fleecing citizens visiting the Allahabad Junction Railway Station and parking their vehicles at the designated parking stands.

Fed up with over-charging at the stands situated at Civil Lines side as well as the City side of the Junction station, many a people have started parking their vehicles in the 'No Parking' zones to avoid these contractors' nets.

The Railways have fixed a fee of Rs 2 for a cycle being parked in the stand for upto four hours, Rs 3 if it is parked for 4 to 24 hours and an additional Rs 3 for every 24 hours thereafter. Similarly, for scooters and motorcycles with helmets, the fee is Rs 4 when parked for upto four hours, Rs 6 if it is parked for 4 to 24 hours and additional Rs 6 for every 24 hours thereafter. For scooters and motorcycles without helmets, Rs 3 has been fixed if vehicle is parked for upto four hours, Rs 5 if parked for 4 to 24 hours and an additional of Rs 5 for every 24 hours thereafter.

However, a visit to these parking stands is enough to know that the contractors are over-charging the people by Rs two to three more than the fee fixed by the Railways.

"Often I come to the junction railway station and whenever I park my vehicle at the stand I have to pay the fee which is higher than the actual fee. Moreover, this practice is continuing since a long time", said Roshan Singh, a visitor at the railway station.

Though a board displaying the fee fixed by the Railways is affixed near the stand, the practice of over-charging is continuing unabated. No concrete measures have been taken by the Railways till date to check the menace, he bemoaned.

On contacting a highly placed officer of the Railways on the condition of anonymity admitted that the practice of over-charging at the stand is prevalent.

He said, "I do agree that over-charging is being carried out at the parking stands. But in order to take a strict action the concerned department needs a written complaint from the public".

"If people come forward and lodge complaints in this matter then the department will certainly take some action. The department needs public co-operation in order to bring such people to light who are indulging in wrong activities".