The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A job with many attendant problems AT WORK

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Sunday, Nov 22, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A job with many attendant problems AT WORK

K.Lakshmi

— Photo: S. Thanthoni

Ensuring order: Her driving skills have made M. Rani popular among those who use the parking lot on Anna Salai.

CHENNAI: Their life revolves around cars. Yet, they do not own them. Rain or shine, they spend all day ensuring that the vehicles are parked in an order.

They have to be always on their toes, alert to prevent chaos and confusion at the parking lot, and even agile lest some drivers go away without paying the fee. Parking lot attendants hardly get a break between their long work shifts and have to stand through the day keeping an eye on vehicles left in their custody. Braving pollution and body ache, they start their day at 9 a.m. and end by 9 p.m.

S.Rajan, a parking lot attendant in Anna Nagar, said, “Road corners have been my work place for 17 years now. I work in pouring rain with the help of a rain coat and umbrella.”

When he was new to the job, he was afraid to step into the middle of the road to stop traffic to make way for parking vehicles. “I have learnt to be polite even to customers who are rude when they do not get parking space during rush hour,” he said.

Often, drivers of vehicles belonging to travel agencies do not pay the fee of Rs.5 per hour and the attendants have to bear the loss. They said that they cannot demand parking fee from politicians or government vehicles. The only consolation for them is the small tips that some vehicle users give them.

M.Rani, one of the few women attendants in the city, has earned many fans for her ability to drive and park any vehicle.

“I have been able to provide schooling to my children with my income for 11 years. I learned to drive three years ago to provide valet parking on Anna Salai.” She wears a rather oversized shirt with several pockets to hold the keys. “Earlier, I used to number the keys to identify them. The daily collection here is nearly Rs.700. I can’t take leave as I need to be here all day,” she said.

As her salary of Rs.3,700 is not enough to meet all the needs of her family, she works in a small eatery early in the morning. Many people like her have not got bonus for two years now. Being a parking attendant in a busy shopping area like Pondy Bazaar, may drive one crazy. But, R.Mariappan finds it better than being unemployed in his hometown near Kancheepuram.

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