HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has taken up the issue of illegal collection of heavy parking fees by certain hospitals, commercial establishments, malls and cinema theatres under the guise of maintenance and security or some other reasons, which is in utter violation of municipal rules.
As per the municipal rules and bye-laws, persons running cinema halls, commercial establishments, hospitals, cinema theatres, etc., have to provide free parking to the customers because the municipal authorities accord building permission or license to the concerned owner, only after satisfying that such an establishment can provide parking to the customers.
The High Court converted a letter addressed by Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy to the judicial registrar into a suo motu PIL.
Collection of exorbitant parking fees by the above establishments puts the customers in financial loss and the municipal authorities, police, labour and fire departments, which are obligated to restrain them from collecting the parking fee, are turning a blind eye towards this issue.
The court made the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, the principal secretary (municipal administration), the principal secretary (home department), Commissioner, GHMC, director of country and planning and commissioner, labour as respondents to the PIL.
