Infosys branch in Hyderabad fined for collecting parking fees from employees

Parking within commercial establishments is free under the city's municipal bye-laws.

For allegedly collecting parking fees from its own employees, the Infosys branch at Pocharam on the outskirts of Hyderabad was issued a show-cause notice and fined Rs 50,000 by the Pocharam Municipality.  Parking within office buildings is free under the city's municipal bye-laws. However, the Pocharam branch was collecting Rs 500 per car and Rs 250 to Rs 300 for bikes and scooters from their employees. The show-cause notice was issued to Infosys based on a petition filed in the Telangana High Court by Vijay Gopal, a city-based activist. 

The municipality in its letter said that Infosys had claimed it was collecting the parking charges to encourage its employees to use public transport. However, the municipality cited a Government Order (GO) by Telangana to rationalise and regulate parking fees, which is applicable to the Pocharam branch of Infosys. The branch was levied a fine of Rs 50,000 and asked to make the parking free for its employees. The



municipality said that the branch was found violating section 24 (promoters or the owners of apartments shall not sell or lease out or misuse any common areas and facilities) of the Telangana State Apartment Act, 1987 besides relevant sections of the Telangana State Municipality Act, 2019.

As per a 2018 order by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), for parking over 30 minutes and for up to one hour, the parking is free if the person produces the receipt of purchase, irrespective of the amount, as proof of having done shopping in the respective mall or multiplex. In the case of not having a purchase bill, a prescribed parking fee for the said duration may be collected.

Parking for more than one hour is free if the person who has parked the vehicle produces a bill or movie ticket to an amount that is more than the parking fee for the said duration. The municipality stated that the GO on parking is applicable to all commercial establishments, institutional buildings including stand-alone cinema theatres, hospitals, etc.