Allegations of overcharging and the denial of valid receipts at Pune Railway Station parking facility have once again brought the spotlight on the functioning of railway parking contractors and the effectiveness of official monitoring.
The latest incident surfaced after commuter Jitendra Kavire shared a video on social media alleging that parking staff demanded ₹50 to ₹60 at the exit despite the actual parking fee being only ₹20. According to the complainant, this was not an isolated incident but the third time he had experienced a similar practice at the same parking lot.
Kavire alleged that every time he entered the parking facility, staff refused to issue a receipt, asking him to collect it while exiting. However, after making the payment at the exit, no proper receipt was allegedly issued. When he insisted on a bill, the staff reportedly handed over a receipt that did not even mention the amount collected.
It was only after the commuter questioned the staff that ₹30 was allegedly returned, with the parking attendant admitting that the actual parking charge was only ₹20.
The allegations have raised concerns that commuters may have been routinely overcharged by ₹30 to ₹40 per vehicle, while many were allegedly leaving without valid receipts. Considering that thousands of two-wheelers and four-wheelers are parked at the facility every day, the alleged malpractice, if proven, could involve a substantial amount of unaccounted cash being collected daily.
The parking contract is currently held by K Padmaja, which has been operating the facility since December 2022. The contractor manages a parking area spread over approximately 5,471 square metres, catering to both two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
What has drawn even sharper criticism is the railway administration's own admission that action had already been taken against the contractor on multiple occasions.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Hemant Behera, Divisional Commercial Manager, said the administration had taken action against the contractor several times. He said the contractor had been fined ₹5,000 on two separate occasions for violations, while the parking licence was terminated a few days ago. He added that the department is further verifying the latest incident and assured that strict action would be taken if the violations are confirmed.
However, the disclosure has raised serious questions over the administration's enforcement mechanism. If the contractor had already faced repeated penalties for similar violations, commuters are questioning why the alleged malpractice was allowed to continue for such a long period. Critics argue that imposing small fines without ensuring strict compliance may have failed to deter repeated violations, leaving passengers vulnerable to exploitation.
The complainant has urged the administration to conduct a comprehensive inquiry, audit parking receipts and cash collections, verify CCTV footage and parking records, initiate action against those responsible for overcharging, ensure mandatory computer-generated receipts for every transaction, prominently display parking tariffs, make receipts compulsory for both cash and UPI payments, refund customers if overcharging is established, and blacklist or terminate contractors found guilty of repeated violations.
