Motorcycles parked in the open at a parking lot for two-wheelers near Bhubaneswar railway station. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 11: Parking two-wheelers at the railway station has become costlier and the hike has angered those who use the facility.

Commuters are angry that the increase, which came into effect from October 11, has been done without informing them. They also say that there has been no significant improvement in the basic facilities to justify the hike from Rs 3 to Rs 5.

The change in the tariff has nowhere been displayed prominently. Besides, now the people are being charged for 12 hours of parking instead of the earlier 24 hours. For any extra hour of parking, one has to pay double the normal charge.

“The sudden hike for two-wheeler parking is not acceptable as there is no change in the quality of space provided at the shed. Some sheds are in a bad shape and there is every possibility of them falling on the vehicles,’’ said Bijay Kumar Mishra, a regular commuter.

Another commuter Mrutyunjay Tripathy said: “The authorities of the East Coast Railway should not think that people will not raise their voice. If they want to collect more revenue then they have to provide better parking facilities for two-wheelers. A few months ago, a snake was caught from the parking lot that remains unclean and full of garbage.’’

The contractor managing the parking lot said: “We are paying the railway authorities according to our tender agreement with them. It is they who should ensure cleanliness at the parking lot.”

Pointing at a dilapidated shed near his counter, he said the railway authorities had been requested repeatedly to undertake repairs but nothing had been done.

“If the concrete roof falls on the parked bikes then it will definitely damage them. For that we have also taken an insurance to be on the safe side,’’ he said.

The contractor is also using chemicals to keep away snakes. “We have to use the liquid daily as there is a threat from snakes because of the dirty surroundings,’’ an employee said.

A senior railway official admitted that there should have been a proper public notification before going for the revised parking charges.

He, however, said that there was a limit to have certain number of bikes but the vendors usually pack two times or more to reap more profit.

While the contractor told The Telegraph that there could be around 900 bikes at 3pm today, a rough estimate by one of his employees revealed that at a peak hour the parking lot holds more than 2,500 bikes.

The website of the East Coast Railway says that the 3,913 square metre parking lot for two-wheelers has been given to the vendor on an annual contract of Rs 22.58 lakh.

Speaking to The Telegraph, senior divisional commercial manager of East Coast Railway H.L. Luwang said: “The contractor has to keep the parking lot clean and he/she has to maintain it for the safety of the individuals using the premises.’’

On the maintenance of the sheds and the floors at the parking place, he said: “The rules say that the contractors have to maintain cleanliness and safety at the parking lot.’’

Luwang hinted at an increase in four-wheelers’ parking fees that had remained unchanged for the last three years.