Surat: In what could be called a daytime loot by the parking contractor, a man who went to pick up his wife was charged ₹120 from his FASTag after he refused to pay the parking charges.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, when Ashwin Kedia picked up his wife at Surat Airport and reached the toll booth in just 3-4 minutes. However, a charge of ₹30 was demanded. When he refused to pay, ₹120 was deducted from his FASTag instead.

Regarding the incident, Ashwin Kedia said, “On March 25, I went to Surat Airport to pick up my wife. I entered at 6:50 am with a parking slip. After picking up my wife, I exited within 3-4 minutes. At the exit parking barrier, a staff member demanded ₹30, arguing that drop-offs were free but pickups incurred a charge.”

When Kedia questioned where this rule was written, the parking staffer pointed to a rate board located far away. However, since nothing was mentioned there, he refused to pay. He insisted that the parking contractor’s staff speak to the commercial manager and let him go.

Later, after leaving the airport, Kedia received a message on his phone stating that ₹120 had been deducted from his FASTag at Surat Airport. The amount was debited from his IDFC Bank account. The message informed him that if the minimum parking charge of ₹30 was not paid, ₹120 would be deducted from the FASTag.

It is noteworthy that the parking contractor at the airport has been involved in several controversies, yet no action has been taken against him. It is alleged that the parking contractor and his staff deliberately create traffic jams to collect parking charges, leading to long queues of pickup vehicles. DeshGujarat