Price of neglect: Addressing urban parking exploitation 

As the number of vehicles on the road continues to grow daily, the city’s parking infrastructure has not kept pace with this increase. Simply placing "No Parking" signs is not a viable solution. Almost everyone in the city has, at some point, faced penalties for unauthorised parking. Unfortunately, this shortage of available parking has led to the exploitation of drivers for personal gain.

During the recent Attukal Pongala festival, private parking centres took advantage of devotees in an unprecedented manner. Some unauthorised centres, operating without approval from the Corporation, engaged in blatant extortion. The extent of this exploitation became apparent when drivers voiced their concerns to Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh during his inspection of the festival preparations. As a result, a temporary parking centre at Ayranimuttam was shut down, although it was later allowed to reopen under strict conditions to adhere to authorised rates.

With hundreds of thousands of devotees arriving for the festival, travellers from afar are often left with no choice but to find parking, which drives up prices exponentially. These illegal parking centers operated in blatant disregard of established guidelines from the Corporation. Visitors from neighboring districts were particularly targeted, facing fees as high as ₹400 for cars and ₹750 to ₹1,000 for buses, with operators even issuing receipts. The Corporation confirmed that investigations revealed several unauthorised centres near the temple were established after clearing overgrown land with earthmovers.

While the Corporation mandates that private parking centers obtain a license and comply with regulated fee structures, these illegal entities operate outside the law. More complaints surfaced after the Mayor personally inspected locations like Ayranimuttam and SMV School and took action. During a press conference, the Mayor stated that the ongoing collection of fees at Gandhi Park—a Corporation-owned facility—is illegal. He revealed receipts showing that ₹750 was being charged for buses, despite the cancellation of the contractor’s agreement for violating terms. Nevertheless, the contractor’s associates continued to collect money. The Corporation has now filed a complaint with the Police Commissioner to remove these individuals from Gandhi Park forcibly.

Beyond taking action against these illegal parking hubs, the Corporation and the government must work together to establish adequate, authorised parking facilities in the city. The city is expanding rapidly, and the number of vehicles is expected to double within five years. Therefore, a solution to the parking crisis needs to be formulated following a comprehensive study by a committee of experts. If these steps are not initiated within a year, devotees attending next year’s Attukal Pongala will once again face the same exploitation.