Hyderabad: Parking woes dog Metro commuters

Hyderabad: With the increasing number of takers to the Hyderabad Metro Rail service, commuters are facing small challenges which, they say, need to be solved quickly to ensure smooth and hassle-free local transport ride in the city.

M Vishnu a regular Metro commuter said, "We, as commuters, feel that there are very few stations that have parking provision. Most Metro stations lack proper parking facilities. "I daily take Metro from Miyapur to Ameerpet. I have to go by another train to reach Nagole Metro station. I have been forced to park my vehicle at a private space under the Bharat Nagar station. Here they charge hourly Rs 10. When I return to Bharat Nagar at 7 pm Rs 100 has to be paid for parking."

According to regular Metro commuters, the fares are too high. Adding to their problems is the lack of proper parking facility. To reach a particular destination there is the lack of first and last-mile connectivity.

Though parking is provided on footpath, most Metro commuters claim their vehicles have received challans for violating traffic rules and parking in the no parking zone.

Earlier, the Metro authorities had provided rental two-wheelers for commuters coming from one place to other for various purposes. But due to lack of patronage the rental vehicles ended up as big failures.

Commuters say there have been instances where the traffic police have wheel-locked cars and also towed two-wheelers from a Metro station saying the vehicle is parked in an unauthorised area.

Another commuter, T Jayshri said, "I live in Kukatpally. Travelling on scooter till Uppal was getting difficult for me. So, I chose to park my scooter at the Metro station and travel in the Metro. But I wondered when I received a traffic challan that my vehicle was parked in no-parking area. I urge authorities to provide proper parking facilities near every Metro station."