Loganathan was desperate to have his Maruti Swift back in running condition. So much so, that he was prepared to pay four times what he would have paid to have the car towed to a mechanic. His car was among the thousands damaged in the rains that battered Chennai and its suburbs last week, leaving many localities flooded.

He paid ₹4,000 to hire a recovery van to pull his vehicle to a service station in Luz Corner, from his house in Velachery, which was among the worst affected areas, while in normal times, it would have cost him just about ₹1,000 to cover the nearly 10-km drive.

Like Loganathan, if you are looking for a recovery van to tow your car that was damaged in the recent rains, to the garage, or for a mechanic to crank up your bike that had stalled, be prepared to pay through your nose. As many motorists are finding out, both these – recovery vans and a mechanic – are scarce and in huge demand.

“I tried to bargain, but the vehicle operator said if you don’t agree with the rate, try other operators as there is a huge demand for me and cut the line,” said Loganathan.

For Srinath living in Perungalauthur, a southern suburb, it was even worse. His car got submerged and he had to take his vehicle to Tambaram for service. He paid ₹8,000 for the 5-km drive as recovery vans were simply not available. The densely populated Mudichur and Perungalathur areas were badly affected with water level reaching up to even the first floor of various flats.

“They are utilising the situation to fleece the customers. We don’t have a choice but to pay the amount,” said Srinath.

Venkatesan, who operates a car recovery van service, said, “What can we do? The demand is huge. I have towed nearly ten vehicles every day in the last three days. My mobile phone has not stopped ringing and I have not slept properly. Auto operators are fleecing customers,” he said.

Another van operator Suresh said customers were not worried about paying even ₹10,000 to tow their vehicles. They just want to ensure that the vehicle reaches the garage at the earliest. All recovery vans are on the road towing vehicles, he said.

Service centres of major automobile operators have their own recovery vans but with the demand increasing,they are asking customers to source tow vehicles from the market.

It is just as bad situation for two-wheeler owners. They had to park their vehicles on the road side as they had stalled. Mechanics are charging a minimum of ₹150 – three times the normal – to just clean the spark plug and crank up the vehicle.

Even at that rate, mechanics are hard to come by. One such, Abdullah, has been turning down requests for help as he already has a huge backlog to clear.

“My assistant and I repaired over 25 vehicles yesterday compared to the average two-three. The repair is simple but takes a few minutes to do it. I have asked my friend in Ambur to come and assist me. He is yet to come,” he said.

Abudullah has been charging twice the rate for the service. Customers don’t even bother to haggle, he said.

Meanwhile, based on a request from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, vehicle manufacturers TVS Motor, India Yamaha, Bajaj Motors and Eicher Motors will hold free service camps for ten days in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur and Cuddalore districts to repair two-wheelers and auto rickshaws damaged in floods.

The camps will be held from December 12 to 21, and details will be published in state government’s website, says a press release.

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