Kolkata Port Trust to set up additional parking lot

The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) will spend Rs 8 crore to set up an additional parking lot for trailers and lorries for smooth movement of vehicles in the dock area. Tender will be floated to select the firm to carry out the construction. Once completed, the KoPT will have total parking yard space of 58,000 sq metre and will be able to accommodate 600 trailers and lorries.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by the Speaker of Bengal Assembly. It was attended by the Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim, PWD minister Aroop Biswas, senior police officers, representatives of various truckers association and chairman of KoPT.

The KoPT has taken up road repair at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. Under the project, Sonai Road, Sonarpur Road and Coal Dock Road have been improved.

Temporary road repairs have also been taken up and the work is likely to be completed before Puja.

The repair of Circular Garden Reach Road, Hide Road and Taratala Road had been completed by KoPT.

Senior port officials said that the roads would have to be maintained properly and for this clearing of drains and removal of garbage by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) was urgently required.

Senior port officials said as the dock roads were used by common public, it was necessary to upgrade and maintain them for smooth flow of traffic.

KoPT along with the city police and transporters are trying to find out ways and means so that truck movement in the area could be restricted to iron out congestion.

But the ban on trailer movement will affect the coffer of KoPT badly and senior officials have already gotten in touch with the chief secretary Basudeb Bandopadhyay to find out a workable solution.

For quite some time, the KoPT had been taking steps to increase the parking area for smooth and safe movement of traffic in the Dock area.

In areas surrounding Kantapukur, arrangements have been made to accommodate more trailers. But the present plan is a comprehensive one and after four months, traffic movement in the dock area will be faster and smooth once the additional parking lot becomes functional, senior officials of KoPT maintained.