Bhubaneswar: There has been a massive uproar on social media about clamping of cars in and around the airport. Visitors have alleged that parking attendants are putting a clamp on the tyres of vehicles parked near the airport. The owners are allowed to take their cars only after they pay a fine.
“I had parked for 20 seconds and two people came up and tried to put a clamp on my car without a warning. They should at least give a warning – a whistle or something,” said Shuvam Garabadu, a city-based entreprenuer. “Moreover, fines or clamping should be done by men in uniform, these people look like goons,” he added.
This is the post that went viral on social media:
However, we spoke to Airport Director Suresh Chandra Hota who explained that the area surrounding the airport is a no-parking zone. “Airport is a highly sensitive place security-wise. These roads are meant for plying, not parking,” he said.
“Our purpose is not to raise penalty but to deter people from parking in a sensitive zone. If there is a security issue, who will be blamed?” he questioned.
Hota further informed that the pick-up and drop charges have been removed for private vehicles, and on top of that, parking fees inside the airport has been reduced to just Rs 20 for 30 minutes.
The director clarified that the car park contractor has been authorised to clamp vehicles but the penalty has to be paid to the airport terminal manager. The penalty has been reduced from Rs 3000 to Rs 220, he informed.
“People coming to the airport are our guests and customers, we want to be passenger-friendly,” he emphasised.
Some of the no-parking warning boards got blown away during cyclone Fani, the Director added.
DCP Anup Sahu told OdishaBytes that the police is coordinating with the airport authority to sort the matter.
