Malls cock a snook at parking order, continue to fleece visitors

​Hyderabad: Malls, multiplexes and all commercial establishments threw the State government’s order to stop collecting parking fee to the winds. The managements of shopping malls are fleecing the visitors by collecting exorbitant parking fee.

Not only in Hyderabad, malls and commercial establishments located under other municipal corporations limits flouted the orders which came into effect from April, across the state. The mandated display of government orders at the parking premises was also violated by the malls. Yet so far, no violation case was registered against any commercial establishment which collected parking fee against the norms.

As per the order issued by Municipal Administration department, government instructed the managements of shopping malls in the city not to collect parking fee from any visitor for the first 30 minutes and those parking their vehicle up to one hour, no parking fee should be levied provided the shopper produces a copy of the purchase bill as proof of shopping in the respective malls or multiplexes.

Practically, the managements put the orders in cold storage and disobeyed the guidelines prescribed for the collection of parking fee from the visitors.

Majority of the big malls including Lifestyle and multiplexes were collecting parking from the visitors soon after they entered the premises. Fee collecting agencies were giving only the receipts generated manually instead of electronic bills.

The agents deputed in the parking places were also not returning the money paid when the purchase bills are submitted before leaving the place. A visitor to Lifestyle Venkat said that he was forced to pay Rs 20 for parking car and they denied returning the money when he produced the bills.

Such violation cases were also reported in all other municipal corporations- Warangal, Khammam, Nizamabad, Ramagundam and other big municipalities in the State. Though people lodged complaints with the local civic authorities, no action was taken against the malls and multiplexes which are collecting parking fee forcefully. When contacted, the Municipal Administration authorities maintained that the local authorities were given powers to act against the erring managements.