Parking fees up 3 times at rly station
Come January, visitors will have to shell out Rs 10 to park two-wheelers and Rs 20 for four-wheelers; the tariff was Rs 3 and Rs 10 earlier
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Monday, December 20, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010122020101220024037563d71a11ff)
Parking charges at Ahmedabad railway station are likely to hit visitors hard with officials considering up to five-fold hike. The move, say the authorities, will deter unauthorised parking and raise the income of the station significantly.
To introduce the new charges at the earliest, the commercial department of the railways has already initiated a tender process.
Currently, the vehicle owners pay Rs 3 for 12 hours. But once the new rates are implemented, people will have to shell out Rs 15 for 12 hours. The minimum charge for parking for four hours at the station will be Rs 10. The fee for four-wheelers will also see a two-fold increase, from Rs 10 in non-premium parking slots to Rs 20. The officials are also planning to jack up the monthly parking rates from Rs 175 to Rs 350.
Unauthorised parking is causing inconvenience during prime time when three to four trains arrive at the station in a short span of time. “Genuine visitors are denied parking space at such time,” a senior official said. But the attempt to penalise ‘unauthorised’ parking, will also cost dear to genuine visitors who come to the station to pick or drop their relatives.
“Parking charges have not been raised for 12 years. We need to increase the income of the station which has seen no rise for several years,” a senior official said.
Two wheeler
New Rs 15 for 12 Hrs and Rs 10 for 04 Hrs Old Rs 3 for 12 Hrs
Car
New Rs 20 Old Rs 10 for 4 Hrs
When contacted, Divisional Railway Manager Ashok Garud said, “The new parking charges are being implemented to check unauthorised vehicle owners who use railway premises as a parking zone and carry out business elsewhere. Moreover, the income of the railway stations also needs to be increased every few years.”
New charges from January
The new parking fees at Ahmedabad and other broad-gauge stations on the Kalupur route will come into effect in the first week of January. The old tender contractors have also been asked to raise the current tariff to match it with the new rates.
“There is a rise in the number of daily passengers. As many as 10,000 vehicles pass through the railway premises every day. The parking is always full to its capacity at any given point. Businessmen or salaried class, who work in nearby areas, cannot get a better and safer parking space at such a reasonable cost. So many of them all park their vehicles here,” a top railway official said.
New rates already in effect at small stations
The new charges are already in place at smaller stations like Maninagar, Sabarmati, Sardargram and stations on the Saraspur route which have meter-gauge rails. There the parking cost has been raised from Rs 3 to Rs 8.
Parking rates will be highest at Kalupur
Once the new rates come into effect, parking charges at Ahmedabad railway station will be the highest in the country. It appears the railways which is not introducing any hike in passenger fares is clearly looking to earn money through other means.
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Monday, December 20, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010122020101220024037563d71a11ff)
Parking charges at Ahmedabad railway station are likely to hit visitors hard with officials considering up to five-fold hike. The move, say the authorities, will deter unauthorised parking and raise the income of the station significantly.
To introduce the new charges at the earliest, the commercial department of the railways has already initiated a tender process.
Currently, the vehicle owners pay Rs 3 for 12 hours. But once the new rates are implemented, people will have to shell out Rs 15 for 12 hours. The minimum charge for parking for four hours at the station will be Rs 10. The fee for four-wheelers will also see a two-fold increase, from Rs 10 in non-premium parking slots to Rs 20. The officials are also planning to jack up the monthly parking rates from Rs 175 to Rs 350.
Unauthorised parking is causing inconvenience during prime time when three to four trains arrive at the station in a short span of time. “Genuine visitors are denied parking space at such time,” a senior official said. But the attempt to penalise ‘unauthorised’ parking, will also cost dear to genuine visitors who come to the station to pick or drop their relatives.
“Parking charges have not been raised for 12 years. We need to increase the income of the station which has seen no rise for several years,” a senior official said.
Two wheeler
New Rs 15 for 12 Hrs and Rs 10 for 04 Hrs Old Rs 3 for 12 Hrs
Car
New Rs 20 Old Rs 10 for 4 Hrs
When contacted, Divisional Railway Manager Ashok Garud said, “The new parking charges are being implemented to check unauthorised vehicle owners who use railway premises as a parking zone and carry out business elsewhere. Moreover, the income of the railway stations also needs to be increased every few years.”
New charges from January
The new parking fees at Ahmedabad and other broad-gauge stations on the Kalupur route will come into effect in the first week of January. The old tender contractors have also been asked to raise the current tariff to match it with the new rates.
“There is a rise in the number of daily passengers. As many as 10,000 vehicles pass through the railway premises every day. The parking is always full to its capacity at any given point. Businessmen or salaried class, who work in nearby areas, cannot get a better and safer parking space at such a reasonable cost. So many of them all park their vehicles here,” a top railway official said.
New rates already in effect at small stations
The new charges are already in place at smaller stations like Maninagar, Sabarmati, Sardargram and stations on the Saraspur route which have meter-gauge rails. There the parking cost has been raised from Rs 3 to Rs 8.
Parking rates will be highest at Kalupur
Once the new rates come into effect, parking charges at Ahmedabad railway station will be the highest in the country. It appears the railways which is not introducing any hike in passenger fares is clearly looking to earn money through other means.
