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Highlighting social causes
Vijay Gopal, a 29-year-old social activist had complained of procrastination by GHMC on taking action against the commercial establishments who were making money through their parking spaces by charging more from visitors be it at malls, multiplexes, super markets etc.
Hyderabad: Vijay Gopal, a 29-year-old social activist had complained of procrastination by GHMC on taking action against the commercial establishments who were making money through their parking spaces by charging more from visitors be it at malls, multiplexes, super markets etc.
On March 20, in a welcome move, the Telangana government issued orders on Tuesday to regulate the parking fee charged by commercial establishments in all urban areas of the state, including Hyderabad. ‘Initially after the research was done around the legality of it I filed more than half a dozen legal case against theatres and malls who charge extra money on people illegally. I was the person who got the whole issue in lime light. Everybody knew that it is just being spoken about in public but taking action was something new for the society.
According to the Government Order (GO), visitors of malls and multiplexes can park their vehicles for free for the first 30 minutes, starting from April 1. The GO states that no parking fee shall be collected for the first half an hour, which could be extended to one hour if the vehicle owner produces a bill of purchase from the mall or multiplex. In case the vehicle has been parked for more than one hour and the owner produces a bill or movie ticket which costs more than the parking fee, then the parking fee will not have to be paid, the GO adds.
Besides these exceptions, the prescribed parking fee for a certain duration can be collected by the managements of these establishments. This comes after several citizens complained that they were being fleeced by parking fees, whenever they visited malls and multiplexes. Taking to Twitter, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal (MAUD) Secretary Arvind Kumar posted a copy of the GO on social media.
"Based on complaints on high parking fee made to MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao, parking fee in malls and multiplexes rationalised for all urban areas including Hyderabad with effect from April 1. No parking fee for first half hour and subsequently, free parking upon producing purchase bills from the mall," Arvind Kumar tweeted.
I expect citizens to follow Government order and also the mall managements. If anybody comes to know that there is any mall who is trying to make money through parking I request them to call 100, Vijay adds.
BY Vandana Sharma
