Overcharging allegations surface at Amritsar airport parking

The issue of overcharging at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport parking area in the city has once again come into focus after the video of a passenger went viral, raising concerns over the airport’s pick & and drop facilities. The passenger, who recorded the video, claimed that visitors are being forced to pay money even in the designated free pick and drop area.

Sameep Singh of the FlyAmritsar Initiative tweeted that despite repeated complaints and videos going viral, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has failed to take any concrete action. He alleged that the parking contractor continues to harass passengers by deliberately delaying vehicles in the free zone, causing them to cross the 10-minute limit and then demanding payment.

“This isn’t just about a few rupees. It’s about the exploitation of travellers at a major international airport,” Sameep Singh said. “Such actions are tarnishing the airport’s reputation. At other international airports, pick and drop zones are properly managed, monitored by security and violators are fined, not extorted. But at Amritsar, there is no such system. Instead, there is exploitation,” he added.

Yogesh Kamara, another activist, also pointed out that the problem is not limited to the free zone alone. Even in the paid parking areas, instances of overcharging are rampant. He alleged that staff members sometimes switch off FASTag scanners deliberately to collect cash manually and pocket the difference, bypassing the transparent digital system put in place for ease of access.

In the tweets, they questioned the Airports Authority of India directly, asking, “Why no action? Why no system? Is this the image we want to give of Amritsar, a city of such global spiritual and cultural significance?”

These posts tagging authorities including the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar and the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office demanded urgent intervention. The controversy comes at a time when Amritsar airport is seeing a growing number of international and domestic flyers, especially pilgrims, tourists and NRIs, and the continued mismanagement of basic services could severely damage the public perception of the airport.

Babu Lal, manager of a private firm managing the parking at airport, said, “We don’t charge for five minutes and sometimes give exemption for 10 minutes for personal vehicles. Then we charge Rs 500 as fine. Similarly, we charge Rs 40 from commercial vehicles for pick and drop facility. FASTag is a machine and sometimes snag may develop. But we cooperate with the passengers.”