Anyone who has been to Delhi's landmark Hauz Khas - be it for shopping or to explore its rich history, can relate to the plights that come with it. Finding a free parking in the vicinity is an impossible task, which means one must avail the pay-and-park service. But in order to pay and park, people need to be aware it doesn't come cheap. The latest victim of exorbitant parking fees at Hauz Khas Village is a retired IPS officer, who shared his experience and demanded corrective measures.
Suvashis Choudhary, who recently retired as Joint Commissioner, Southern Range, Delhi Police, not only criticised the exorbitant parking fees at Hauz Khas Village, but also exposed a possible scam in the name of paid parking.
Hauz Khas Village and parking fiasco
Choudhary, IPS, tweeted on Monday that he had to pay Rs 300 to park his car. But that's not even the worst part. As norm with pay-and-park facilities, a receipt is provided once the car is parked or at least when paid for the parking. But Choudhary was shocked to learn that the exorbitant parking fees was taken to park the car in public land.
"The parking at Hauz Khas Village are fleecing people. Charging ₹300/car. Also refused to give receipt. It's public land & they can't cheat citizens," Choudhary tweeted.
He further urged DCP South West Delhi and Delhi Traffic Police to send decoys and if found correct they should move for cancellation of their licence by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
Reacting to Coudhary's tweet, many Delhites shared similar concerns.
"Really pathetic parking lot. Overcharge and fleece people. One has to literally ask them multiple times to get a slip, always trying to charge discretionary rates," Pranav Gupta said on Twitter.
"That's the reason I keep my scooty home and take a quick two station metro ride from Saket to Hauz Khas. As I once overheard an uncle's quarrel at the HK parking spot: "soney ke bhaav mein parking fees le rhe ho yaar tum," said another user, Mukul Sharma, on Twitter.
Taking instant note of the concern raised by the former IPS officer, Gaurav Sharma, IPS, DCP South West Delhi, replied: "Noted for action sir."
Parking lot scam exposed in Delhi
It appears the IPS officer's concern is faced by many on a daily basis and it's become almost a tradition. Last year in October, a parking lot scam was exposed in Delhi, wherein parking attendants were issuing old slips for cars parked in authorised parking lots to make extra bucks. People often didn't check the dates on their slips or even if the ticket has the same license plate, which made it easy for scammers to run the con without getting caught.
NDMC requires parking lot entries to be done online via handheld devices. Not doing so poses risk to the vehicle and also leads to losses for the NDMC.
