Contractors, Thugs Control Every Parking Lot And Fleece Citizens At Will For rogue parking contractors in the city, who corner all tenders for parking lots, the city’s acute shortage of parking space has become a veritable windfall and a source to milk hapless citizens dry. The demand has always been higher than supply as almost 90% of the buildings in the city do not provide proper parking space even for their tenants. With the city police banning parking on roads along the Metro route, private contractors are making hay from lots owned by government agencies such as the railways, Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and Kochi corporation as well as by turning private spaces into parking places illegally. With some of them turning law unto themselves with no government agency to monitor them, harassed citizens have finally started complaining, recently witnessed in protests by commuters at the south railway station. Not only do contractors demand double or triple of the actual rates, they violate every rule and fail to even seal parking coupons. Though, as per norms, a parking lot needs to have proper sheds to protect the vehicle from the sun and rains, the rule is always violated. Also some charge caution deposits, and the desperate citizen usually pays up. “The Anti-Corruption People’s Movement started an agitation against contractors charging exorbitant rates from motorists at the south railway station. Even while we were carrying out the protest, they charged Rs 300 from a car owner when the maximum he could have charged was Rs 90!’’ said Sadananda Bhatt, general secretary, Anti-Corruption People’s Movement. “In fact, he had parked his car at the railway station for 55 hours. Since the rate for parking a car for 24 hours is Rs 30, he should have been charged only less than Rs 90. We took up the issue with the police. They asked the contractor to return Rs 210,” Bhatt said. “But the funny part is that the same guy has been getting the contract for the past 17 years. While hearing a complaint petition, even the court had asked the railways whether couldn’t find another person,” he said. The contractors not only charge excessive rates but behave rudely to motorists. Last week, an employee of the contractor showered abusive words on a woman employed with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The “crime” she had committed was that she didn’t have change to pay Rs 20 and had paid Rs 50. The woman officer lodged a complaint with the railway area manager. But they have not acted on it yet. The contractors are being given a free run by authorities who have not taken any action against them despite the abuse of rules. “The contractor who collects parking fee on the Park Avenue does it without stamping a seal on the coupon. We protested forcing the contractor to stamp the coupons,” said Nishad Babu, district joint secretary, DYFI. The failure of local bodies to ensure that buildings have adequate parking lots has added to the citizen’s woes. “If the Kochi corporation takes stern action against erring building owners, the parking woes can be addressed to a great extent. But authorities turn a blind eye towards such violations. This has resulted in at least 90% of the buildings in Kochi using the parking area for commercial and other purposes,” said M P Mahesh, councillor, Kochi corporation. “A few months back, the corporation had slapped fines on a textile shop in the city for using parking lots for commercial purposes. The textile major paid a portion of the fine amount. But continue to violate the rule. The corporation authorities have not taken any action against the textile shop again,” the councillor added.