Demand to roll back ‘steep hike’ in parking fee at railway stations in Thiruvananthapuram division

Demand to roll back ‘steep hike’ in parking fee at railway stations in Thiruvananthapuram division

Kerala


Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, has written to the Divisional Railway Manager, Southern Railway, demanding a rollback of the “excessive hike in parking fees” at railway stations in the Thiruvananthapuram division.

He expressed concern over the alleged hike in parking fee, which, he said, had caused widespread public dissatisfaction, besides inflicting heavy financial stress on daily commuters, working-class individuals, and economically weaker sections.

Quoting media reports, he said the parking fee had surged steeply — two-wheeler parking charges to ₹50 and four-wheeler up to ₹100. In some instances, the new rates are reportedly applicable even for a minimum duration of 30 minutes, which is highly unreasonable and unjustified.

“The sudden hike is causing additional burden for common people and may discourage citizens from using railway premises for legitimate and necessary purposes, such as accompanying elderly passengers, schoolchildren, and differently abled individuals. While revenue generation for railway infrastructure is important, it must not come at the cost of essential public accessibility and affordability,” the letter said.

The letter further urged the authorities to immediately review and reconsider the recent hike in parking charges across stations in the Thiruvananthapuram division and ensure that parking ticket fee is rationalised, especially for short duration and peak hours, and implement a fair, transparent, and public-friendly fee structure after adequate stakeholder consultation, keeping the interests of the public in mind.

Friends on Rails, a collective of railway passengers, alleged that the monthly season parking pass for two-wheelers had been increased from the previous ₹200 to ₹600. J. Liyons, organisation secretary, alleged that the facilities had not improved in proportion with the steep rise in parking fee. “There is no roof at parking facilities for two-wheelers in most railway stations. The contractors in charge guarantee no security to the vehicles, and parking at many stations continues to be at the owners’ risk. There are even stations where parking lots are run on marshy land without even CCTV cameras,” he alleged.

“Instances of theft of vehicles, parts, and even fuel are not rare. Many passengers at major railway stations like Ernakulam, Thripunithura, Thrissur, and Thiruvananthapuram use vehicles to move between stations and offices, and they have to bear an additional ₹1,200 as parking fee monthly in addition to the ticket fare,” said Mr. Liyons.



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