Parking contractor issued notice over fleecing

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 17

After the report on the ‘Bus stand parking contractor fleecing visitors’ published in these columns on September 27, the PRTC ordered the contractor asking him to charge a parking fee of Rs 10 for two wheelers and Rs 20 for four wheelers.

The order was issued in the context that the contractor, Ram Kumar, was charging Rs 20 from two wheelers and Rs 40 from four wheelers for eight hours. For 24-hour parking, he was charging Rs 60 from a two- wheeler and Rs 120 from a four-wheeler. The government rates are Rs 10 per day for two-wheelers and Rs 20 for four wheelers.

When questioned about whether the charges had been approved by the PRTC, Ram Kumar said, “I was never told about the rates when I was allotted the tender. I pay as high as Rs 1,53, 000 per month to the PRTC. The government rates of Rs 10 and Rs 20 have made the project unviable for the contractor.”

Surender Singh, general manager, PRTC, said, “We have come to know that the contractor was overcharging for parking. In case we received a complaint from a parking facility user, we will take strict action against him.”

An elderly resident of the town travelling daily to Talwandi, pleading anonymity, said “The PRTC authorities are lying that they did not know about the overcharging by the contractor. He was openly overcharging and in case they did not even know, the higher up authorities need to make them accountable.”