BPIA puts hold on free parking policy

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Bhubaneswar: Drivers visiting Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) at pick-up and drop-off zones will have to continue pay fares as the proposed policy of cancelling the waiting charges for private vehicles has been put on hold.
Amidst fanfare the BPIA had earlier announced that the ‘time-based fee car parking’ system would be removed from April 1. The new policy planned will allow the passengers cost-free stay for drivers waiting for disembarking passengers.
However, sources at the BPIA told that due to dispute between the airport management and the contracted party for the erstwhile parking policy the new scheme has been put on hold. It is said that the aggrieved party has officially filed a case against the BPIA.
“The contract for the parking policy was scheduled to be expired by January next year. However the BPIA prematurely ended the contract which has resulted in heavy loss to us. We either need a fresh contract or recovery of our losses,” said a source from the aggrieved party.
Under the ‘time-based fee car parking’ system vehicles are charged a fee of up to Rs. 55 for more than six minutes of parking on BPIA premises’ lanes. The free parking policy had come at the backdrop of Airport Authority of India (AAI) issuing new set of guidelines for the parking systems at all the airports from 10th December.
Along with the free parking policy, the BPIA had also proposed that a lane-management programme will also be setup which is presently being managed by DGR guards. While costing and the modus operandi were to be planned an automated system of determining the cars’ duration was also to be implemented.
Responding to this, BPIA Director Suresh Chandra Hota said, “We had proposed to launch the policy on April 1 but due to the legal procedures involved the policy has been delayed. The court will be passing the judgment within week’s time and we are assured that it will be in our favour.”