City bizman’s parking bill: Rs 11 lakh for 21 luxury cars

CHENNAI: Collecting luxury or vintage cars is not uncommon among the rich. But what if there is not enough space to station them? A 74-year-old Chennai man, who prides himself as an avid car collector, has found an easy but expensive way out of the conundrum: park them in the parking lots at Metro Rail station – but at a stiff cost.

Sources in Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said the man has paid a whopping Rs 11.11 lakh in parking charges alone since August 2019, perhaps a small price to pay for the man who has 21 cars, including luxury and vintage vehicles. According to the elderly businessman, who did not wish to be identified, he has been collecting cars for several decades, a collection that now boasts a number of BMWs and Mercedes-Benz among others. He has been scouting for vacant land in the city to safely park his vehicles.

“During that time, I noticed the Metro Rail parking in Shenoy Nagar and near Pachaiyappa’s College,” he told DT Next. As the parking lots had few takers around 2018-19, CMRL officials allowed him to park all his cars by paying the prescribed charges – for parking round the clock, the CMRL charges Rs 2,000 per four-wheeler per month. “As I noticed the car parking lots of the metro stations nearly empty, I began parking my cars in 2018. They welcomed me to park my vehicles during the COVID-19 lockdown. But when the demand surged, I was forced to remove my vehicles, despite paying hefty charges,” he said. When asked about taking up parking space meant for Metro Rail commuters, he said, “My employees are regular Metro Rail commuters who also keep track of my cars parked at the station lots. I have paid hefty parking charges for all my cars for the past five years. So, how will it amount to taking space?” A CMRL official said the businessman had parked 21 cars and paid Rs 11.11 lakh since August 2019. “However, all of them have been removed now,” said the official.