A parking ticket from the Secunderabad Railway Station, amounting to Rs 500 for a time of 31 minutes did the rounds on social media, prompting officials to take note of the issue. Taking to Twitter, AK Jairath, a retired Brigadier and Army officer said, “Privatisation shows its colour. Parking a car for 31 minutes at a railway station now costs Rs 500 as parking charges. Whose Vikas? (sic).” He also shared a receipt of the parking ticket, which showed parking charges at Rs 423, besides SGST and CGST of Rs 38 each.
Privatisation Shows its Colour.
— Brigadier A K Jairath, Retd (@KWecare) November 9, 2021
Parking a car for 31 minutes at a railway station now costs Rs.500 as parking charges.
Whose Vikas? pic.twitter.com/EyFNS4rdPl
The parking in question is being managed by ValetEZ, a smart parking and mobility solutions firm that handles parking spaces. As the tweet went viral, Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao also shared it and said, “Atrocious indeed! Request Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji to direct officials to do away with fleecing citizens as pointed out by Brigadier Jairath ji (sic).”
Atrocious indeed!
— KTR (@KTRTRS) November 10, 2021
Request Railway minister @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji to direct officials to do away with fleecing citizens as pointed out by Brigadier Jairath ji https://t.co/Wt0GlSWFRQ
The Indian Railways replied to the tweet saying that it has been forwarded for necessary action and escalated to the officials concerned. Following this, the Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad Division, South Central Railway (SCR) said that the matter has been notified to the officials concerned, tagging the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) and Director of the Secunderabad Railway Station.
Matter is notified to the concerned officials @IRSDCSC @director_scstn
— DRM Secunderabad (@drmsecunderabad) November 9, 2021
However, it’s unclear if the vehicle user in question used the parking premises at Terminal 2 near platform number 10 of the station, generally referred to as the Bhoiguda entrance. The usual fee for vehicles at this parking spot is Rs 50 for a car and Rs 15 for a bike for every two hours and subsequently, Rs 25 and Rs 10, for every additional hour. Since 2019, officials have implemented a rule to dissuade people from parking near the entrance for too long and to avoid crowding. As part of this rule, anyone who spends more than eight minutes at the spot, without entering the parking premises, will be levied a fine of Rs 500.