Unmanned Chintadripet MRTS parking lot a target for bike thieves

CHENNAI: The parking lot at Chintadripet MRTS railway station is currently unmanned since the tender period of the previous contractor is over, which means there is no fee to park the vehicles there. While this has resulted in many two-wheeler riders parking their vehicles in the station premises in the space-starved locality, it has also led to the theft of such vehicles.

According to railway police, three bikes have been stolen from the station premises since January. R Arunachalam (64) of Triplicane parked his bike inside the station on April 5 and found it missing the next day. In January, two bikes of Edwinraj (36) of Ayanavaram and A Kither Raj of Royapuram went missing and railway police have registered separate cases. When contacted, Edwinraj said that he parked the vehicle in the station as he had to travel by MRTS for urgent work. “I was ready to pay the parking fee, but there was none. I never thought it would be unsafe to park the vehicle at the railway premises, “ said Edwinraj, who is yet to get his bike traced.

Railway police cite lack of strength even to guard the station, let alone tracing the stolen vehicles. “We tried locking up the parking lot to prevent motorists from leaving their vehicles in an unsafe manner. But people still park their vehicles beside the lock and leave without realising the risk. We cannot afford to post personnel round the clock to advise motorists not to leave their vehicles inside the station.

While the Railway Protection Force claim the parking lot is none of their business, Chintadripet law and order police too send the complainants back to the railway police citing jurisdiction.

While they argue that the onus is on the railways to award the tender to make the parking lot paid and manned to avoid vehicle thefts, a railway official, when contacted, blamed the pandemic for the delay in the tender process. “The previous contractors incurred loss due to non-plying trains and poor patronage. So, they were hesitant to bid for the new tender even when the railways reduced tender quotes. Only recently, a contractor has been awarded and the station will soon get a manned parking lot,” added the official.