Fracas over parking fee as cops release vehicles

A total of 5,239 vehicles were seized with 5,610 cases being registered against 5,983 persons in the last one month. Till Sunday, police released 1,470 vehicles in phases.

But problems started as the Vellore corporation-appointed contractors for the parking lots started demanding “parking fees” from these vehicle owners. “I was given vehicle key by the Vellore north police and was told to pick up my vehicle from the parking lot abutting the old bus stand, which is near the police station. But when I went there, the contractor’s attendant demanded Rs 100 as parking fee for 10 days, at Rs 10 per day,” said Hussain, a vehicle owner.

With heated arguments between vehicle owners and contract staff becoming frequent, contract staff put the blame on cops, claiming: “We also have to pay the police.” After an affected vehicle owner rushed to Vellore north police station and shared this with the cops there they descended on the parking lot. “Why are we being pulled into the issue when we only returned the vehicle keys and never demanded anything in return either from the owner or the contractor,” asked an irate police official preferring anonymity.

When word of the fracas reached top officials, instructions were soon issued to the contractors of parking lots that no money should be demanded for the release of vehicles. Asked about cases registered against lockdown violators, police said they would go by government advise.