S Lalitha By Express News Service BENGALURU: Watch out if you’re heading to Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna railway station to drop off or pick up someone. Starting Saturday, seven minutes is all you have if you don’t want to be charged a parking fee.The Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) has installed an access control system with toll gates at entry and exit points to both platform one and platform eight to decongest traffic and keep track of all vehicles passing through the railway station. “The idea is to decongest this busy station. Vehicles are scattered all over with some abandoned at corners and in parking areas. Passengers rushing to board trains need to navigate through them. It is also a major security upgrade to make the station safer by keeping track of every vehicle,” an IRSDC source said. “All unattended vehicles will be towed away and can be collected only after paying towing charges,” the source added. Every vehicle is stopped on entry at a toll booth. Staff holding hand-held devices record vehicle details and a printed receipt with entry time is given to the vehicle driver. If you exit in seven minutes, you had the receipt over, or else pay the prescribed parking fee. When this reporter visited the railway station on Saturday, a few two-wheeler riders were arguing with the staff, complaining that they just came for a quick drop or pick-up and that there was no reason to give a parking receipt. Railway police and Railway Protection Force officials questioned vehicle and taxi drivers on the reason for hanging around the station and asked them to leave within 7 minutes or they would be charged a fee. The new system has been welcomed by several people who spoke to this reporter. “It is in the interest of everyone’s security. However, the 7 minutes needs to be extended to 10 minutes at least as we come to pick up friends or family members and want to remain at the entrance when they come out. Trains could end up coming late,” explained S Girish, an interior designer, who had come to pick up his mother who was arriving from Mysuru. “I came just before the train was expected but it is late by half an hour now. A cop just explained the new step to me,” he said. S Raju, who works part-time as a bike taxi rider is totally against the move. “A customer has booked the taxi and I have waited for some time already and the train has not arrived. This 7-minute stay time might help others but not service providers like us,” he said. The maximum period a vehicle is allowed inside the station premises without being charge has been fixed as 7 minutes. Parking rates at both its parking lots too have been hiked from midnight of January 25 and the maximum parking fee for an entire day is now Rs 80 (up from Rs 50) and the minimum rate increased to Rs 12 from Rs 10.

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