Kolkata: Police on Tuesday removed all illegal parking from one side of Purna Das Road following complaints from residents, many of whom took to social media and tagged the state administration to their posts.Residents, such as Sampath Kumar, claimed commercial establishments were blatantly allowing parking on both sides of the narrow road, shrinking traffic space on the main thoroughfare. “The southeast Traffic Guard of the Kolkata Police shows their chivalry in booking minions but do not bother about the daily traffic snarl caused by a car decorator and a few eateries who have made our peaceful locality, Purna Das Road a real hell! These violators seem outside the purview of any government! #KolkataPolice #SuvenduAdhikari” Kumar had written on Facebook.But police said to keep a campaign against illegal parking effective for a longer duration beyond Tuesday, alternative parking arrangements were a must. “With rapid commercialisation of the area and house owners renting out floors to commercial establishments, including banks, eateries and cafes, there are not enough parking spots. We want residents of the area not to merely oppose but also help us with alternative solutions. We are also writing to the KMC,” said an officer.Purna Das Road is a residential area in south Kolkata, where a number of commercial establishments, especially restaurants and cafes, have come up over the past few years. Consequently, a number of unauthorized or “fake” parking spaces have been created to accommodate visitors. Given the high footfall at the shops and restaurants, rows of vehicles are parked on both sides of the neighbourhood roads, leaving little space for traffic, emergency vehicles and even pedestrians.Both police and KMC officials pointed out that one stretch had a curvature, which allowed more road space, and that extra space was being used for illegal parking rampantly. “We plan a sustained drive but there is a bank located in the neighbourhood. We do not want to inconvenience senior citizens visiting the bank,” said an officer.Residents of Purnadas Road have been protesting against their roads being blocked by cars for a few years now. Despite the protests, there was an instance in 2017, when car owners refused to allow KMC officials to clamp their illegally parked vehicles. Instead, they paid Rs 1,000 on-the-spot-fine to free their vehicles.A KMC official said they would not allow illegal parking during the day and the peak hours but cars could be parked on the lanes inside at night, provided the owners paid the night parking charge. “Many apartments, built between 1985 and 2000, have converted the ground floor parking area into shops. As a result, residents are forced to park their vehicles on the streets at night,” the official said, adding the exemption was for them but they would have to pay the night charge. A police officer said those with multiple cars also left their second vehicles on the streets at night. “Sometimes cars, worth over a crore, are found parked illegally on the streets,” said a traffic sergeant.
