Willingdon Island To Have New Parking Regulations For Trucks

A new truck parking terminal is coming up in Vathuruthy area in Willingdon Island for providing better facilities to the truck operators and workers.  It may be recalled that there has been a long standing demand for proper facilities for parking of trucks and amenities for the drivers and other employees of cargo handling trucks. The Port has entered into an understanding with its users like the Cochin Custom House Agents Association, Cochin Steamer Agents Association, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry to set up a company by name: Willingdon Island Parking Yard (P) Ltd, to develop a full fledged truck parking terminal in the area. In the first phase, the terminal will come up in 5.5 acre land near Vathuruthy Railway crossing, where the construction work for the parking terminal is in full swing.  The terminal will have adequate facilities for rest rooms, public amenities, canteens and other essential services.  There will also be repair facilities for vehicles as well as weighbridges etc. Parking in this terminal will be on chargeable basis and the details are being worked out.

Meanwhile, the Port has also decided to collect a parking fee for all commercial vehicles entering the Port area beyond the toll gates. This has become necessary because of the prohibitive cost of maintaining the roads, which are being used as parking areas by truckers. As such parking damages the roads resulting in the requirement of  frequent repair works, it has been decided to recover such costs through enforcing a parking fee.  However, such parking fee will not be collected from trucks for the first six hours after entry at the toll gate.  This means that if the trucks pick up or collect their cargo within six hours and go out, there will be no parking fee for that period. Any additional stay within the port premises beyond 6 hours will be chargeable on an hourly basis.  This system is also expected to speed up cargo handling operations and avoid unnecessary idle time.

For the time being, this new regulatory system will be applicable to commercial vehicles only and there will be no change as far as other vehicles like cars, two wheelers etc. The new regulations will come into effect from November 25, 2008.