Unauthorised parking leaves little space for vehicles of regular commuters at some MRTS stations

Regular MRTS commuters struggle to park vehicles due to outsiders occupying space. Commuters forced to park in open. Officials notified to take steps to prevent "unauthorised" parking. Regular MRTS commuters face difficulty parking vehicles as outsiders occupy space, forcing them to park in open. Southern Railway officials notified to take steps to prevent "unauthorised" parking.

The regular commuters of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) trains travelling between Chennai Beach and Velachery are now increasingly finding it difficult to park their vehicles as “outsiders” are allowed to occupy the space at some railway stations. As a result, the commuters are forced to park their vehicles outside the covered parking lot.  

Thousands of regular office-goers, particularly from suburbs, travel by MRTS trains every day. Many of them reach the stations on their personal vehicles, park them at the station and continue their journey by train. At some stations, parking contractors allow vehicles of outsiders to be parked in the space. Though it is exclusively meant for use by commuters, covered parking space is occupied by autorickshaws, cars and minivans and in some cases school or college buses. The commuters are forced to park their vehicles in the open. 

T. Ramesh Sundaram, a regular commuter of the MRTS, said the problem of outsiders parking their vehicles was rampant at Perungudi, Taramani and Greenways Road stations. In some places like Perungudi, school or college buses occupy the space in the evening time. 

Commuters want the officials of the Southern Railway to take steps to prevent the vehicles of outsiders from being parked on the station premises.

A senior official of the Chennai division of the Southern Railway said a complaint was registered in this regard last week at Perungudi station and the officials of the Commercial department have been notified to take steps to prevent such “unauthorised” parking.