Entry into Santragachhi station in a vehicle now costs Rs 30, irrespective of whether one parks on the premises.

The fee is being allegedly charged illegally by an agency in charge of collecting parking fee at Santragachhi station. The ticket issued has "Authorised Rly Car Parking" printed on it along with the name of the agency, Das Enterprise and SE Rly/SRC/North Howrah.

When Vaishali Khanna reached the station along with her mother Geeta Khanna and two children to catch the Tirupati Superfast Express recently, her Innova was stopped at the entrance. "We were asked to pay Rs 30. I told the man at the counter that our car would just drop us off near the foot overbridge but he wouldn't listen," she said. With four suitcases and bags in tow, Vaishali had no choice but to pay up.

Dipankar Dutta, who was at Santragachhi station with his aged parents to catch the Ajmer Express, had a similar experience. "We did not know a fee is being charged. Otherwise I would have just got down on the other side of the underpass and walked," he said. "If you are not parking, why should any fee be charged? This is ridiculous."

An attendant collecting the fee at the entrance to the station confirmed that all vehicles were being charged. "Whether you park at the station or not, if you take the vehicle inside, you have to pay the fee," he said, refusing to give his name.

"It's like a tolled railway station," added a policeman on duty. At Howrah station, vehicles are charged a flat fee of Rs 30 for parking outside the building and Rs 200 for parking near the platform.

When Metro contacted the South Eastern Railway spokesman, he seemed surprised about the fee at Santragachhi. "We do not charge any entrance fee for vehicles at Santragachhi station. We charge only for parking. We employ an agency to collect the parking fee. If the agent is charging an entry fee, it is completely illegal. We will take action."