BENGALURU: The rise in the city’s vehicle population and consequent struggle for parking has led to unscrupulous elements exploiting the problem and raking in the cash, using ‘no parking’ spaces as parking lots and duping unsuspecting motorists by issuing them parking tickets. To add insult to injury, when vehicle owners return, they are being booked and issued challans by the cops for parking in a ‘no parking’ zone.
To cite an instance, recently, Suresh Krishnamurthy, an employee of a multinational firm, became the most recent victim of an illegal parking racket, which is allegedly being run in K R Puram Railway Station. Apparently, he was duped by the parking touts who issued a parking slip to him in a ‘no parking’ zone.
It was a hellish Sunday afternoon for Mr Krishnamurthy, who had gone to K R Puram railway station to receive his family members on Old Madras Road. Little did he guess that he was not only being duped by unauthorized parking attendants, but that he had also been booked for a violation! In his complaint to the traffic police, Mr Krishnamurthy said that he parked his car in a dedicated parking area in the railway station around 12 noon.
Parking slip issued to Suresh
“I went to pick up my family from the station. They were coming from Chennai on Sunday. Around 12 I reached K R Puram railway station and began looking for parking. After driving a little further, I noticed around 20 cars (both taxis and private vehicles) parked at the corner, outside the station. Soon, an attendant showed up and directed me to park my car in the same row and gave me a receipt for Rs 30 as parking fee. After that I went inside to receive my family members,” recalled Mr Krishnamurthy.
Around 12:30 pm, when Mr Krishnamurthy returned, he saw a surprising sight -- most of the cars which had been parked there, were no longer at the parking lot and a traffic cop was talking to a few car owners. Puzzled, when Krishnamurthy went up to his car, a traffic cop identified as Siddegowda ST, approached him and demanded a fine of Rs 100 for parking in a ‘no parking zone’.
“I was totally confused and showed the parking fee receipt to the cop. To my shock, the cop replied after looking at the receipt, “Those people wanted money so they took cash and went away. You have to pay the challan and if you have any problem please go to the police station’. I tried reasoning with the cop but he didn’t want to listen and kept repeating that I should pay the challan or go to the police station. I had no choice but to pay up and leave,” said Mr. Krishnamurthy.
Now he wonders aloud: “Was the entire incident stage-managed? Could some people posing as parking fee collectors organize the parking in a ‘no parking’ zone just before the train arrives, and then vanish afterwards? After the train arrives, the cops come and start issuing challans! How could so many cars, wrongly parked, fail to come to the notice of the cop controlling the traffic at the junction? There are plenty of answers I want from the department,’ concluded Mr Krishnamurthy.
When Deccan Chronicle newspaper reported the incident to DCP traffic (East) C K Baba he said, “If it’s a ‘no parking’ zone then the vehicle owners have to pay the fine. But, as mentioned in the complaint and looking at the parking fee receipt, I have initiated an enquiry into the matter to ascertain how these people can charge vehicle owners a parking fee in a ‘no parking’ zone. I have taken note of the incident and it will be investigated properly,” he assured.
