KOLKATA: To tackle the menace of unauthorised parking and prevent motorists from being fleeced by illegal parking agents at Sector V in Salt Lake, cops and officials of Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) will hold a meeting this week, for redress of the parking extortion issues that have been rampant since the various stages of Unlock during the pandemic.
NDITA officials said that there is no fee parking zones in Sector V at present, so taking parking fee from people is illegal till the authorities renew the old system of parking fee collection or engage new parking agents in consultation with the police.
“At present, there are no authorized agents to collect parking fees in Sector V. If anybody is collecting parking fees, that is illegal and we have also informed the police about the matter. The fee parking zones were there before the pandemic last year. After the lockdown the parking fee collection system has not been renewed,” said an NDITA official.
The meeting to be held by the authorities comes after the complaints regarding the illegal collection of parking fees in Sector V poured in. The parking fees demanded illegally by the agents also go up four times the original rate, especially during night.
“The problem is worse at night and during weekends. The worst zone is the area near RDB Boulevard where people stay back till late night at workplaces or come out of restaurants and bars. During Christmas eve, we had to spend Rs 200 for keeping our car for one-and-half-an-hour at a parking zone near RDB Boulevard,” said Mithoon Ghosh, a resident of Jadavpur.
NDITA authorities said they are planning to re-introduce parking fee collection system in Sector V very soon in consultation with the police. “We had sought opinion from the police about the streets or stretches that could be identified as parking zones. They have recently shared an opinion on the roads which could be earmarked for parking. We will discuss on the issue with the police in the meeting,” said an official.
The parking rates that NDITA had previously fixed were Rs 10 per hour for four-wheelers and Rs 5 per hour for two-wheelers.
A senior officer of Bidhannagar city police said they would ask for a parity in parking rates and would urge the NDITA to have provisions for a helpline number and a grievance redressal cell to tackle the parking menace.
“We have already instructed our officials to check the license and other credentials of those who are collecting the fee. In case of any discrepancy, specific cases of extortion would be slapped against them and penal actions will be taken,” said a senior police officer.
The officer said that a few days ago, the NDITA authorities had also sought a fresh list of zones to be tagged as fee parking zones. “We have sent them a detailed list. At the meeting we will also discuss if they have any plan to increase the fee parking zones in the recent future,” added the officer.
NDITA is working on the last stage of the under-construction multi-storied car parking plaza in Sector V where over 700 cars can be accommodated. “The problem of car parking on roads will be solved once this parking plaza is opened,” said the officials. The authorities are also working on plans to turn Street No. 25 — the busiest street of the IT hub — into a no-vehicle zone.
(With inputs from
Mayukh Sengupta)