Sir,

This refers to the report on MGP meeting on Railway issues (SOM dated Apr.10). The sub-title in the report states that a demand was made to bring down parking fees at the City Railway Station. I wish to make the following suggestion to not only eliminate parking, but even to reduce use of petrol by private vehicles and thus reduce pollution, the direction in which all traffic issues are currently looked at in many cities and metros.

The entire parking space at the Railway Station be converted into a well-designed public transport arena and if possible provide free ride upto important destinations such as city/suburban bus stands, hospitals and other major places. This will ease traffic congestion by private vehicles, reduce cost of travel and pollution. It will also help a large number of passengers by avoiding drudgery of walking a long distance to bus stop with children and luggage.

This suggestion was also aired at the said meeting but was turned down as being impractical and impossible.

Regarding the demand to reduce the parking fee, it is observed that there is a general feeling among the common public that parking fee should not exceed the ticket fare. This is quite absurd and ridiculous, because the ticket fare depends on the destination to which a person travels after parking one’s vehicle in the parking lot. Sometimes the ticket fare may be as little as Rs. 4 to Nanjangud or Kadakola or Pandavapura etc.

In Bengaluru for example, the auto fares are generally far more than the train fare from Mysuru to Bengaluru. But it was a common refrain to comment on this incomparable comparison.

– Prof. B.S.Shankara (Retd.), Ramakrishnanagar, 11.4.2018

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