A need for reform in the award of parking contracts in railway stations has been voiced by many commuters.
The practice of repeatedly awarding parking contract to the same person without fixing any responsibility for improvement of amenities showed lack of transparency and disregard to complaints, say commuters.
Commuters rued that while the demand for parking space has been on the rise, the Southern Railway failed to exploit the revenue potential by adopting a good business model.
Private facilities
Consumer activist T. Sadagopan said several private parking stands were providing better amenities compared to the railway contractors who do not even provide basic facility of covering the place.
Those using expensive two-wheelers and cars were forced to park in an open place resulting in damage to the vehicles. He criticised the Southern Railway for not making the award of contract a transparent process. The officials concerned failed to ensure that contractors provided covered parking and fixed CCTV cameras as per rules.
The commuters pointed to the absence of boards showing details of the name of the contractor, grievance redress numbers, parking fees and the tenure of the contract.
J. Ranganathan, Secretary, Kancheepuram-Chennai Rail Commuters’ Association, wanted the Southern Railway to explore the option of building multi-level parking yards with the computerised vending of train and parking tickets at major stations.
In some stations, private yards did roaring business because of better amenities, amiable parking attenders and installation of CCTV cameras.
