Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Monday decided to issue a show-cause notice to the agency that runs the car parking lot on JL Nehru Road for overcharging and not adhering to parking rules. The decision was taken after a TOI report published on Monday highlighted motorists’ plight amid growing extortion by a section of parking attendants. This apart, a team of car parking department inspectors was asked to conduct a surprise drive in and around Chowringhee to spot such attendants.
“Whatever is happening in the name of running a parking lot in the Chowringhee area and several other parts of the city is grossly illegal. We won’t tolerate such irregularities. I will ask my department officials to issue a show-cause notice and ask the errant agency to give an explanation. If they fail to satisfy our officials, we may be compelled to blacklist the agency,” said Debasis Kumar, the member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC car parking department. According to another official, the department will not only check whether the parking attendants are collecting Rs 50 an hour as a parking fee but also try to find out whether they are carrying photo ID cards.Apart from the civic body, the south traffic guard of Kolkata Police on Monday conducted its crackdown against illegal parking in the Grand Arcade area and its surroundings. On Monday, until evening, cops fined 59 motorists for illegal parking. Cops imposed fines on 1,158 vehicles, at an average of 165 cases per day, in the past week. The maximum fines were imposed on the motorists between Friday and Sunday, said cops.The drive was found to be most effective on JL Nehru Road. However, cops accepted that it would take more time to clear adjoining roads. An official said the KMC was yet to decide whether the parking fees would be changed or not. The department, however, is receiving several complaints from residents across the city, accusing parking attendants of fleecing the motorists. They also accused the attendants of misbehaving with motorists. Several parking agencies were allegedly overcharging motorists, giving them the impression that the civic body had hiked the base fee from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per hour.
