G S Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 15: Bringing notoriety for Jammu Development Authority (JDA), a parking contractor has been fleecing commoners outside Regional Transport Office (RTO) Jammu, for the last several months by charging exorbitant charges for parking. The Jammu Development Authority (JDA) has raised up a signboard, mentioning charges for two wheelers and four wheelers. JDA signboard has mentioend Rs. 5 and 10 for two wheelers and four wheelers respectively, but the boys deputed by contractor have been charging double the charge. "They are charging Rs. 10 for a motorcycle and Rs. 20 for any car, which is nearly double to mentioned in the JDA signboard", a commoner who visited RTO office informed Early Times.
"Whenever we ask them the reasons for charging exorbitantly, some boys kept by contractor threatned and forcibly took Rs. 10 even for few minutes", Ram Sharma, a resident of RS Pura said.
Another person Gian Singh, who had visited RTO office for collecting driving license informed Early Times, "These parking boys behave very rudely with commoners and if someone questioned they started quarreling", he said, adding that the boys maintained that the it was the instructions of contractor to collect Rs. 10 for every two wheeler and Rs. 20 for any car. Singh further said that one day, when he minutely saw the reciept given by parking boys, he was surprised to notice that the parking charges for car and big cars were mentioned in JDA's receipt and the parking boys have been giving reciepts of car parking to motorcycle owners. "Few days back also, when someone had raised objections and had also complained to RTO and JDA officials, the parking boys and their contractor had given an excuse that they had paid Rs. 5 Lakh of contract and so have doubled the charge on their own", he said.
Criticizing the contractor and JDA, another commoner said that there was no demarcated parking while areas outside RTO office was dug up. "On what grounds the parking charge have been taken it was a crude joke with masses", he said, adding that from RTO office, to anywhere even on road, if one parked the vehicle, these parking boys charge fee and claimed entire area as their own. When this correspondent contacted to Parking contractor, Balraj Singh Charak, whose phone number was also mentioned in the JDA board, he said that they have been charging as per the JDA's rate list, but failed to give any satisfactory reply, when asked the routine has been going on for the last many months. Inspite of giving reply to other questions, he simply said that he would do some favour to the correspondent, whenever he would ask. Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of JDA, SK Phonsa said that they had already received several complaints against the contractor. "We will issue a notice to the contractor and after imtimating him action will be taken agaisnt him", he said, adding that charing must be done as per JDA rate list. |
