Hyderabad: After it came to light that employees working in Infosys, Hyderabad need to shell out Rs 500 for four-wheelers and Rs 250 for two-wheelers per month to park on the campus, activists note that it flouts a 2003 Hyderabad High Court order that disallows commercial establishments from levying parking charges.

The IT firm has said that the charges will be deducted from the employees' salary and it is levied on all Infosys employees across India.

The Infosys office in Hyderabad is located in the city outskirts, in the Pocharam Special Economic Zone (SEZ) campus. About over 20,000 people work at the facility and the workforce could increase by 20,000 in the coming years.

Employees say that they had approached the human resource department complaining about the charges, but the management has allegedly responded that the fee is being collected to maintain the parking lot.

Further, the employees say that they approached the labour department with regard to the parking and the following charges, but alleged that the department refused to lend ears to the problem. They allegedly said that the Infosys Pocharam facility is an SEZ and thus under the purview of an SEZ development commissioner.

Activists, however, have a different viewpoint which stands the legal scrutiny.

They say that the practice is illegal as the facility falls under the SEZ, as the Shops and Establishments Act is applicable to Infosys. They say that by levying the charges they flout the Hyderabad HC order.

One of the activists told a leading web portal that none of the IT company practise the parking lot levying charge in India. The company is making illegal profits besides the perks that already have due to the SEZ. He said Infosys must be booked for cheating their employees and under the relevant SEZ Penal Sections of the SEZ Act and Rules. The activist said he has written to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry asking for action to be taken against the IT firm.

Infosys replied to the query from the ministry stating the funds collected from the charges goes to the Infosys employees welfare trust which utilises the money for maintenance and upkeep of the parking lot. The company also claims it collects GST from the employees.

However, employees allege that the company collects another Rs 250 beside the parking lot charge in the name of the welfare trust and wonders what happens to the funds as they see no benefits from it.

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