Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the top brass of her government to withdraw the traffic fine in the New Town market giving relief to the people in the area.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Thursday announcing it on his Twitter handle, wrote: “Traffic fine of Rs 500 which was introduced by the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) in New Town Bazar, is anti-people, objectionable and confusing. The Chief Minister did not know about the traffic fine. The decision to take the fine has been cancelled following the instruction of Banerjee. She gave necessary directives after knowing about the harassment of the people. The matter has been informed to Bidhannagar police commissionerate as well.”
Resentment was brewing up among the residents after the local administration started slapping a fine of Rs 500 on those who used to park their vehicles in the non-parking zone at New Town market.
Incidentally, in April this year, Trinamool Congress-ruled Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) hiked the parking fees in the city. Mayor Firhad Hakim was forced to roll it back at the behest of the party.
The fee was hiked without the nod of the Chief Minister. The KMC started collecting parking fees at a sharply increased rate from April 1 in a move aimed at augmenting its resources.
The parking fee for four-wheelers was raised from Rs 10 per hour to Rs 20, Rs 80, Rs 120, and Rs 160 for one, two, three, four and five hours respectively. It was increased from Rs 5 per hour to Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 40, Rs 60 and Rs 80 for a similar duration in the case of bikes.
On April 7, Trinamool Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh held a press conference asserting that the parking fees had been hiked without the Chief Minister’s nod.
During that time, he also clarified that Banerjee did not want to put any burden on common people. Ghosh also clarified that neither the ruling Trinamool Congress nor the government did not endorse the decision.