KMC asks councillors to give written complaints against illegal car parking at night

Kolkata: In the wake of complaints against illegal car parking on the road at night, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to take strict action on the basis of written complaints from councillors while clarifying that no cars can be parked on roads with a width less than 18ft.

With a councillor raising complaints against illegal car parking at night, the Member Mayor-in-council (MMIC) of the parks and squares, parking department of KMC, Debashish Kumar said that if councillors give a written complaint then KMC will take action against such illegally parked cars on the road at night.

The MMIC said that at times when car parking department officials take action by clamping the illegally parked cars at night, councillors start calling early the next morning requesting the release of the cars.

“This cannot go on. If councillors have a genuine intention of stopping this menace then they need to give it to us in writing about areas in their Wards where cars are being randomly parked on the road at night,” he said.

Kumar highlighted that according to KMC’s rule, cars can only be parked on roads which are 18ft wide and with permission from KMC. No cars can be parked on roads which have a width of less than 18ft.

“KMC is conducting night drives thrice a week. We are attaching stickers to cars which are seen parked on the road, asking the owners to contact KMC so they can legally park their cars at night on the road by paying a fee,” he said.

Presently, KMC has allowed night parking for some 400 cars. For this, the owners are paying Rs 600 per month. This has already fetched KMC revenue of around Rs 25 lakh, said the MMIC.

Kumar said that KMC is presently conducting night drives against illegal parking in areas where although car parking spaces have been allotted in the building sanction plan, people are keeping it on the road.

He explained: “In colony land or added areas, five to six-storey buildings have come up on narrow roads. The flat buyers bought them at cheap prices. Over the years their financial conditions improved and they also ended up buying cars. Now because the majority of these buildings do not have any garage space, cars are being kept on

the road.”