Sambalpur: Passengers Harassed at Railway Station Parking; Authorities Remain Silent Despite Complaints
Sambalpur: Passengers at Sambalpur Railway Station, a major hub in western Odisha, face daily harassment in the parking area. Despite repeated complaints to railway authorities, no action has been taken. Passengers allege that they are being overcharged beyond the stipulated fees.
Thousands of passengers park their two-wheelers and four-wheelers at the railway station daily, paying the necessary fees. However, in return, they receive inadequate services and face unnecessary harassment. Complaints frequently arise from passengers about being overcharged by the parking contractors. While two-wheeler parking has sheds, four-wheelers are left in open spaces.
Instances of passengers being charged more than the fixed rates are common. In the past, court cases have been filed, resulting in substantial fines for the parking contractors. For example, last Friday, a passenger, in a hurry to catch a train, left his scooter in the parking area, informing a staff member verbally as he couldn’t get a receipt in time. Upon his return at 4:45 PM, he was asked to show the receipt. When he explained the situation, the parking operator, Anil Singh, insisted on seeing the receipt and made the passenger keep his scooter inside while recording the incident on video.
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Singh demanded the passenger’s Aadhaar card, vehicle RC papers, and a written request to release the vehicle, claiming they couldn’t trust it was his scooter otherwise. Even after the passenger, who was unwell, provided the documents, Singh ridiculed him for not having them written in Hindi. After writing in Hindi and verifying the passenger’s phone number, Singh still refused to refund the extra money and said, “Complain to whoever you want; no one can do anything to me.”
The passenger contacted the Divisional Manager, Tushar Pandey, who directed him to contact Senior Commercial Officer Garima Tiwari. Tiwari responded by stating the contractor’s services would be terminated after their contract ended and promised an investigation into the complaint.
This incident highlights the indifference of railway officials toward passenger convenience. Exploiting this, the parking contractor continues to harass and exploit passengers. Passengers are not informed about the parking regulations, and even if they lodge complaints, the authorities take no action. This raises suspicions of collusion between the officials and the contractor.
