kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the city police will conduct joint raids against illegal parking in the city, Debashis Kumar, Member, Mayor-in-Council (parks and square and parking) said on Wednesday.
The civic authorities have lost revenue from parking fees worth Rs 20 crore in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Fee parking is allowed on 570 streets in the city.
Cars are being parked illegally in vast areas in the city which include Bhowanipore, Kalighat, areas surrounding RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, lanes and bylanes off Deshbandhu Park, Tallah Park and its neighbourhood.
Civic officials said it has been found that some cars are parked illegally in the streets at night.
If the cars are parked illegally, then clamps are put on the wheels and photographs of the vehicles with the wheels being clamped on them are sent to the owners, who have to pay Rs 1000 as penalty. There is a provision for authorised parking at night. The owners have to apply to the KMC and pay Rs 500 per month. They are given stickers, which are supposed to put on the windscreen. But few owners, who park their cars in the streets, go to the KMC and make monthly payments.
The civic officials said raids would be conducted both during the day and the night time. The cars, parked in the streets, will be clamped and the owners will have to pay fine to unlock the vehicles. They said it is mandatory to have a garage when cars are bought. But many owners cite false addresses and park the vehicles on the roads. Apart from commercial vehicles many private cars are also parked illegally in the streets.