The Coimbatore Consumer Cause has opposed the increase in the parking fee for two-wheelers at the bus stands of the Coimbatore Corporation in the city.
Secretary of the consumer body K. Kathirmathiyon has said in a letter to Corporation Commissioner Anhsul Mishra that the increase, effective on April 1, this year, was too steep for the people who used the parking lots.
Till March 31, the fee was Rs.5 for 24 hours. It had now been revised at Rs.5 for only six hours. Hence, one had to pay Rs.20 as parking fee for a day. This amounted to a 400 per cent increase.
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Many people commuted to Coimbatore for work from far away places in the district. After work, they parked their vehicles between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at these lots and boarded buses to reach their homes. They took the two-wheelers again the following morning, around 9 a.m., to get to their places of work. Earlier, they had to pay only Rs.5 as parking fee. Now they should pay Rs.15.00 for 12 hours to 13 hours.
The Corporation should reconsider the increase, the consumer activist said in the letter.