CMRL under fire for high parking charges at night

“While they charge Rs 350 for parking a four-wheel vehicle during the day, the fee for a single night halt is Rs 700. I know many of my friends who have stopped taking Metro rail due to such high parking charges,” said Avinash, a private firm staff who is a regular commuter. In the case of two-wheelers, the CMRL charges Rs 200 for night halt. This is applicable to even commuters who have obtained monthly passes.

In comparison, other Metro rail stations charge Rs 200 for cars and Rs 100 for two-wheelers for night halt. Even this is high when compared to the charge levied in the morning — Rs 40 and Rs 20 for four and two-wheelers respectively.

The decision to keep the night time charges high has particularly affects those professionals like IT company staff and other sunrise sector employees whose duty timings are not confined to the traditional hours. “Many commuters are software professionals who work in flexi-timings and have an erratic schedule,” pointed out a passenger who is a regular on the Metro rail.

The trouble is, those who park at the Metro stations will have to pay the high charge even if they pick up the vehicles few minutes after midnight, by when the night halt charges would be levied.

A senior CMRL official justified this saying Metro provides space during revenue hours — which is only 16 hours a day. The charges beyond 24 hours are purposefully kept high, he said. When asked about the high tariff at airport Metro station parking, an official said, “A different tariff is followed at airport Metro because of the other facilities provided inside the lot, including the shuttle service to the airport from the parking bay and an escalator that connects the station with the parking facility. These facilities increase the costs.”