07 April,2017 08:30 AM IST | | Suraj Ojha
Investigation ordered after Thane man complains about parking scam where touts charge several hundred rupees per hour, depending on the time of the day
A parking lot choked with vehicles opposite the police commissioner's office
The free run of Crawford Market parking lot touts is set to end. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar have ordered an inquiry into overcharging at the busiest market's pay-and-park lots, following a complaint from a Thane resident.
ON April 1, Thane resident G Arora arrived at one of the three parking lots in Crawford Market - right opposite Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar's office - but was told by an attendant that he would be charged Rs 140/hour as against the approved rate of Rs 20 (this was revised by the BMC on April 3 to Rs 60/hour). "When I told him that I wouldn't engage in such extortion, he told me to park my car elsewhere," he said.
A fuming Arora, who works with an automobile company, did a bit of snooping - he found that it's become customary to charge four-wheelers Rs 80-150 per hour, depending on the time and day of the week - and then shot off a complaint letter to both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Padsalgikar.
Crawford Market's parking lots can take in 323 vehicles at a time
He alleged how a "mafia" of parking touts has taken over Crawford Market and causing a huge loss to the exchequer. He drew up a tentative loss estimate, amounting to Rs 5.40 crore a year. As per his calculation, if 100 cars are parked for 10 hours a day in a parking lot and charged Rs 150/hour, parking attendants can earn Rs 15 lakh a day, cumulatively adding up to Rs 45 lakh a month and Rs 5.40 crore in a year.
Also read - Mumbai: BMC loses lakhs on its pay-and-park lots
Arora said Fadnavis assured him via email that the issue would be taken up on a priority. On his part, Padsalgikar asked the joint commissioner of police (law and order) and joint commissioner of police (traffic) of the area to probe the matter. DCPâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088(zone 1) Manoj Kumar Sharma has been tasked with initiating an inquiry.
Sharma told mid-day that the complaint is being taken seriously. "I have asked two police stations - MRA and Azad Maidan - to look into the matter as a serious allegation has been made."
He said in the last four to five months, many FIRs have been registered against pay-and-park contractors for overcharging people and issuing fudged bills. "We have arrested several people in this regard."
