MELAKA: An investigation has been initiated by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ) over a claim made by a woman that she was charged RM183 as a parking fee at a wholesale market in Batu Berendam here.
Melaka housing, local government and disaster management committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said the directive was issued to MPHTJ to probe the issue after the complaint by the woman surfaced on social media.
He said preliminary information obtained from MPHTJ suggests the unusually high charge may have been caused by a possible error in the parking system managed by the concessionaire.
"There is a possibility that the excessive charge resulted from a technical error in the parking system.
“If investigations confirm that a mistake occurred, the payment will be refunded to the affected motorist,” he said when contacted on Monday (March 16).
The issue surfaced on Sunday (March 15) after the woman shared her experience online, claiming the charge was deducted through a transaction made using her ATM card at the parking bay of the wholesale market.
She also alleged that similar incidents had occurred previously, raising concerns over potential issues with the parking system at the site.
Meanwhile, MPHTJ president Datuk Sapiah Haron said preliminary checks indicate the excessive charge may have stemmed from data inconsistencies within the parking system.
She clarified that the issue could occur when motorists use different cards when entering and exiting the parking facility, resulting in incomplete transaction records.
This, she said, could cause parking charges to accumulate automatically in the system, eventually displaying a significantly higher payment amount.
“The matter is currently under further investigation together with the appointed parking system operator to determine the exact cause of the incident,” she added.
