No check on fleecing of visitors at Ferozepur Road

Harshraj Singh

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

LUDHIANA, MARCH 23

With the civic body authorities turning a blind eye towards rampant fleecing at parking lots on the Ferozepur Road, the visitors are a harried lot.

Even, elected representatives fail to pay any heed towards the problems being faced by visitors at different parking lots under the the Municipal Corporation authorities.

Before the MC elections, a city-based NGO had also run an online campaign against the overcharging at the parking lots but the civic body did nothing to provide any relief to the visitors.

Despite the repeated complaints against over-charging, the MC even failed to display fee boards at most of the parking lots in right way, leaving the visitors in lurch. Moreover, the parking staff commonly issue manual tickets instead of mandatory e-tickets at many parking lots on the road.

In another case of fleecing, a resident has filed a complaint to the MC Joint Commissioner, alleging the overcharging at MC’s parking lot outside the Omaxe Plaza on the Ferozepur Road.

In his complaint, Achint Baweja alleged that the overcharging was rampantly going on at the parking site outside the Omaxe Plaza. “I had gone to a store located in the mall for only 20-25 minutes but parking staff charged Rs30 from me instead of Rs10. The parking staff had issued a manual fee slip instead of e-ticket. When I raised an objection on overcharging, the parking staff started misbehaving with me,” he said.

“I have complained to the MC against fleecing by the parking staff. I requested the official concerned to take necessary action in this regard,” he further said.

According to the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court, the parking is allowed for only four hours at the parking lots on Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana. The visitors generally complain that parking staff charge Rs30-40 for parking of four-wheeler for one hour against the actual fee of Rs10 per hour.

In September 2016, the then MC commissioner, Ghanshyam Thori, had recommended the cancellation of the agreement with contractor who looks after the Ferozepur Road parking lots. But the proposal was kept pending by the MC’s Finance & Contract Committee (F&CC).

In 2017, F&CC extended the agreement for parking lots for one more year but responsibility of officials was not fixed to stop fleecing of visitors.?

The MC Commissioner, Jaskiran Singh, could not be contacted despite after repeated attempts.

Actual parking fee on Ferozepur Road 

• One hour: Rs 5 for two-wheeler, Rs 10 for four-wheeler
• Two hours: Rs 10 for two-wheeler, Rs 20 for four-wheeler
• Three hours: Rs 15 for two-wheeler, Rs 30 for four-wheeler
• Four hours: Rs 20 for two-wheeler, Rs 40 for four-wheeler