Pay Rs 110 for a two-minute parking at T2

Mumbai: Family and friends looking to pick up passengers from the new airport terminal make sure you carry extra cash in your wallet for parking, as it will cost you a staggering Rs 110 even for a two minute wait.

The airport authorities have made it mandatory for every visitor to park their vehicle in the parking bay, with a 0 to 30 min stay costing Rs 110, which means anyone looking to receive flyers will have to shell out the amount even if they wait for two minutes.

This is in stark contrast to the system at the domestic airport where motorists are allowed to pick up passengers and drive away without paying a fee. The airport authorities have said the charges have been brought in to ease traffic problems around Terminal 2.

Sky-high costs

The move has not gone down well with Mumbaikar's with several saying that the authorities have found a new way to make money at their expense. Vile Parle resident Rusit Patel, who drove to T2 to receive his wife on Sunday, had a torrid time dealing with the security personnel. Despite his reluctance, Rusit was asked to enter the MLCP 4 level and given a token that stated the time and date of entry.

MiD DAY was accompanying Rusit and it was found that in the mere two minutes he was there, a parking charge of Rs 110 was levied. "If T2 is built in a way that there is hardly any space for cars to pick up passengers then it is shoddy planning by the company. Why has the common man to suffer because of their bad planning," said Nikita, Patel's wife.

"Not allowing a flier to be received at the airport is a violation of freedom right that citizens in general have and fliers in particular. GVK has been only leased the airport land on BOOT basis and hence the airport still is very much a 'state' within the provision of the constitution and any violation of a right can be challenged in the courts," said Rusit.

He further added, "Over the years the honourable courts have been kind enough to expand the Constitutional provisions under Article 21: Right to Life and have included right to clean environment, and in today's modern world I am confident this provision shall include right to reasonably use infrastructure made with government funding in part or full, without being subject to arbitrariness at any level."

"Further more under the provision of the Consumer Protection Act, since GVK is recipient of user development fee (UDF), not offering a fair pick-up point to the arrival passengers is a deficiency in service.

One may argue that the UDF is only levied on departing passengers, but this arrangement is vice-versa and applies to the passenger until his journey is completed," added Rusit, who is planning to file a PIL against the 'unfair parking charges'.

GVK speak

"This system was introduced in order to ensure no traffic congestion at the airport. Since the system is new people may find it difficult to adjust initially, but they will later realise that it is for the benefit of the common man," said a GVK official, on condition of anonymity.