Metro Withdraws Free Parking At Nagole, Miyapur Stations

The Hyderabad Metro gave a rude shock to the commuters of the State capital today, by suddenly withdrawing the free parking facility for vehicles at the Nagole and Miyapur metro stations.

Authorities set up paid parking boards at both the stations today.

Two-wheeler parking costs Rs 10 for two hours, Rs 25 for eight hours and Rs 40 for 12 hours.

Four-wheeler parking costs Rs 30 for two hours, Rs 75 for eight hours and Rs 120 for 12 hours.

The Metro is also offering monthly passes with a discount of 40%.

Metro commuters who had gone to park this morning were shocked to see the parking board all of a sudden. Protests ensued at the Nagole station, demanding free parking as usual.

"We are staying in the Nagole and L B Nagar areas for a reason - we cannot afford to stay in Jubilee Hills and Madhapur on our meagre salaries. The new rules brought in by the Metro rail authorities to pay additional parking fees hurt us," a commuter said.

"Those going to places like Jubilee Hills will have to pay Rs 40 per day - i. e. Rs 1,200 per month - which will put a financial burden on their families," another commuter said.

Despite collecting so much cash, the authorities are not ensuring the safety of the vehicles. The protesting commuters expressed their anger over the authorities putting up a board that they would have nothing to do with theft, damage or loss of goods.

Around 4-5 lakh people travel daily in the Hyderabad Metro. Many people come to the metro station nearest to their homes on their own vehicles, park the vehicles there and catch the Metro from there.

The commuters need to download the app to pay the prepaid parking fee. However, many allege that there are difficulties in downloading it. They are also asking what is the point of paying the parking fees if the parking area is bad and even the safety of the vehicles are not guaranteed.