The basement car park of an apartment project near the Penang Hill railway station has been converted into a public parking area although the project has yet to be issued with certificate of fitness (CF).

According to a signboard at the site, a RM3 fee is imposed on every vehicle for parking there.

Parking contractors appointed by the Penang Municipal Council complained that they had suffered a 60% drop in fee collections since the two-level basement car park began operating six months ago.

A parking attendant for one of the council contractors, Rusli Haris, 26, said the “private car park’’ could accommodate 600 vehicles.

He said visitors did not mind paying the RM3 flat rate for the sheltered car park because they would usually be up on Penang Hill for several hours.

“We definitely cannot compete because our parking bays are exposed to the hot sun and rain and we charge 40 sen per 30 minutes,” he told a press conference called by Penang DAP organising secretary Danny Law Heng Kiang.

Rusli said the car park operators appointed by the developer were very aggressive. They would flag down cars and direct them to the apartment car park.

“Some 1,000 vehicles visit Penang Hill a day during weekends and public holidays and most would opt for the sheltered car park.

“The car park recorded fantastic business during the recent Thnee Kong Thnua celebrations at the nearby Jade Emperor Pavilion in Air Itam,” he said.

He added that the contractors’ complaints to the council had fallen on deaf ears.

Law questioned how the council could have allowed the developer of the 11-storey apartment cum commercial building, which was completed last year, to use the basement premises as a public car park pending issuance of CF.

“The council has failed to take any action although the matter had been brought to its attention for some time,” he added. Council Planning and Building Committee member Hung Siat Hee said the council would investigate.