Kolkata: Parking extortionists demand 5 times the rate at shopping hubs | Kolkata News

KOLKATA: Motorists are often being forced to pay more than the prescribed parking fee in central Kolkata despite measures taken to curb it during the pre-puja period when allegations had surfaced. With Diwali round the corner, shoppers are again being fleeced by parking attendants who are demanding a much higher fee than the official rate.
The New Market area remains a nightmare for those looking to park their vehicles since most parking lots have been occupied by hawkers. The few that are available on Lindsay Street and Jawaharlal Nehru Road are controlled by parking agents who are now demanding Rs 50 per hour against the KMC rate of Rs 10 per hour.

“You can park if you pay Rs 50 per hour. The moment one hour is over, Rs 100 will be charged,” a parking attendant on duty at the Free School Street end of Lindsay Street warns motorists and drivers before allowing them to park the vehicles. The spot is around 200m from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters.
The parking lot on JN Road where the parking charge is around Rs 40-Rs 50 per hour is even closer to the building where mayor Firhad Hakim sits. Just over a month ago, it was Hakim who had spoken to the city’s police chief and called for a crackdown on the parking mafia. The parking department at KMC had even lodged an FIR against a couple of attendants doing duty near Gariahat on Rashbehari Avenue that led to the situation being momentarily addressed.
But with the city diving into puja celebrations and now bracing up for Kali Puja-Diwali shopping, the parking menace has returned.
“I was told in no uncertain terms that only if I agree to pay Rs 50 per hour would I be allowed to park my car. Though the parking attendants were in uniform and had ID cards issued by KMC, they acted like mafias who own the space and spoke to me in a threatening tone,” said Mayurakshi Mitra, who had gone to shop at New Market and encountered the problem on Tuesday evening.
The parking rate is as steep on Wood Street, Camac Street and Lord Sinha Road where Vardaan Market and Emami Market are located. Both these markets are popular destinations for Diwali shoppers.
A KMC car parking department official promised action against the unjustified demands from a section of parking attendants. “We have already asked the agencies running the parking lots to display the KMC authorized parking fee boards and also display a special WhatsApp number to enable an aggrieved car owner to lodge his/her complaint against extortion. We won’t spare a single attendant if found guilty,” said the civic official.