Parking pains 

Extortion over parking fee has been a regular nuisance at the airport (Scanner on parking racket, January 6). On September 1 last year, I landed at the airport by a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai at 10.30pm. I booked an Uber at 10.49pm and when I called the driver, he said he was in Baguiati and would reach in five minutes. He entered the airport at 10.56pm (bill no. 17032). I boarded the cab at 11pm and we reached the exit gate two minutes later. But we were forced to pay Rs 100 at the collection kiosk. We were told commercial vehicles had to pay the parking fee even for less than 10 minutes. I wrote to the airport director citing this incident and received a reply stating that the fee has been introduced “to avoid idle parking in front of the terminal building and also to avoid any possible security threat, congestion etc. However, the free time for all the vehicles between entry and exit point is 10 minutes only. The window of free time of 10 minutes between entry & exit point is applicable to all vehicles whether commercial or non-commercial”. I was told that the agency had been served a notice in my case. But the practice continues.

Sundeep Bafna

 

Thanks for highlighting the  nuisance at the Calcutta airport. I have had similar experiences on four occasions in the past two weeks when I was in the city to attend a few weddings and had to pick up and drop relatives at the airport. Twice, while dropping off passengers for Singapore Airlines and Qatar, our rented car (a Toyota Innova) was directed to proceed through the basement car park instead of the ramp to departure, which had a single exit and a circuitous route from entry to exit. At the exit (to the departure), a couple of men were collecting money from drivers, threatening to bang on the car windows with a bamboo stick, choking traffic flowing out of the basement car park. Only two lanes were open and the third lane was full of parked passenger vehicles waiting to pick up passengers. On two occasions while we were there to pick up relatives, the kiosk at the entrance ran out of tokens and waved us ahead. We had to pay an unreasonable amount as parking fee on exit.

Koushik De

 

I went to the airport a couple of days ago. I was charged Rs 100 for two hours’ parking.

Partha Hui

 

Every time I get picked up from the airport, I have to pay Rs 100. The time taken for the vehicle to enter, pick me up and leave is usually around five to six minutes as I am a business traveller and only have carry-on luggage. Many times I have argued at the exit counter, but in vain.

Sourav Dutta

 

It is a regular complaint that passengers are harassed at the airport over parking fee. I request the authorities to install a computerised timer.

Protap Dutta

 

Harassment has become common in Calcutta, particularly for parking of vehicles, be it at the airport, railway station or a business hub like Burrabazar. At the airport, cars are forced to take a route that compels them to stay inside for longer than the grace time of 10 minutes.

S.K. Bhartia

 

I faced similar harassment at the Calcutta airport recently, on my arrival from Hyderabad. An Uber cab picked me up and we were at the airport for three minutes, but at the exit gate, the person asked for Rs 100 as parking fee. Arguments continued for more than five minutes before we could leave the place.

Gulab Rateria

 

I was returning from Singapore on February 1 at 10pm and had to pay the parking fee to my app cab after a short argument with the attendant. I request the authorities to post some police constables at the exit to overcome this menace.

Pankaj Vora

 

I am a frequent flier from Calcutta and use Uber for my airport pick-up and drop. Every time, at pick-up, the parking fee is levied within 10 minutes and the same is charged by Uber in our bills.

Gautum Jhunjhunwala

 

Whenever I book an Uber from the airport and leave within five minutes (not even 10) the officials force the driver to pay Rs 100 and later I have to pay that amount to Uber. If they have to impose this rule why don’t they charge local cabs as well?

Arudra Gupta, Jodhpur Park

 

I would like to thank Metro for taking up this issue time and again. I was in an Uber once when the parking guys asked for a fee. I told them that I had read in the newspapers that parking fee is not applicable for less than 10-minute stay. I was told that the said rule has been withdrawn and the person pointed to a printed board near the booth that said commercial vehicles need to pay. I paid up, only to realise that the board must have been an old one. I request you to kindly highlight this issue as well so that the misleading board is removed.

Prateek Jhajharia

 

Parking charges should be levied only if a vehicle is parked in the area handed over to contractor for parking. Vehicles overstaying at the airport may be levied a fine, but not parking charges. The airport authorities are conniving with parking contractors to fleece people. The nexus should be exposed.

S.S. Singh

 

I would like to bring to your attention the time fraud regularly practised at the airport. The employees at the counter issue tickets with lapsed timings. So if you are not careful when you receive the ticket, you are left dumbfounded at exit.

Avishek Auddy, Salt Lake

 

All app cab drivers I have spoken to on my way back from the airport in the past three months have said that the parking attendants continue to take Rs 100 from all commercial vehicles. One night, when I confronted a parking attendant at the exit point, he showed me a notice board which says commercial vehicles will need to pay the fee and the 10-minute rule is not applicable to them. Probably, it is an old board which has not been removed or changed.

Amar Goenka

 

I was recently forced to pay Rs 100 even when I exited the airport within six minutes. When I protested, the attendant said it’s mentioned at the bottom of the token that all private and commercial vehicles will have to pay.

Nilanjana Das

 

I was at the airport on February 10 and had booked an Ola pick-up. I was charged Rs 100. When I tried to explain to the people to the barrier, they threatened me and the driver with consequences. The first time I had encountered such a problem was last year and I had written to the airport authorities. I received a reply stating clearly that the “window of free time of 10 minutes between entry & exit point is applicable to all vehicles whether commercial or non-commercial”. But the menace continues. The misleading notice board at the exit should be changed immediately.

Sandeep Kang