In response to public pressure, the authorities at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station (Majestic) in Bengaluru have reduced the parking fees partially. The parking fee will now be half of what the two-wheelers were asked to pay in the new fee structure. The fee structure was first revised on January 25.
The new fee structure had meant that passengers had to pay Rs 232 to park their two-wheelers for a whole day, compared to the earlier fee of Rs 70, for parking for 24 hours. This amount of Rs 232 was reached following the structure that the fee for the first two hours was Rs 12 and every additional hour cost Rs 10 per hour.
Now, in the revised structure released by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC), which looks after the parking facility at the station, the initial first two hours will be charged Rs 12 and every next 2 hours will be charged Rs 10, making the full day charge Rs 115.
However, there has been no revision of monthly fees which stands at Rs 1,000. No changes have been made for four-wheelers’ parking fees either.
Reacting to the change, Karnataka Rail Users, a rail users forum thanked the railway authority for considering the parking fee revision.
The reduction in the parking fee was expected as the IRSDC had earlier released a statement saying that they have taken cognisance of the public outcry.
Even experts had slammed the steep hike in the parking fees. They even pointed out how the train ticket fares for nearby destinations, like Mysuru, would have been cheaper than the parking fees.
Some suggested that this would even hurt the Railways more as people might find other means to park their vehicles or use private facilities or even the nearby KSRTC/ BMTC bus stations if that offers more competitive pricing.