A parking app that enables motorists and two-wheeler riders to locate parking slots will soon be launched across all parking areas in New Town.
The system is already working in at least seven parking lots spread across Sector V.
Payment for the parking fee can be made through mobile wallets. The app aims to curb overcharging by parking attendants.
The app was rolled out as part of a pilot project during the Durga Puja near the City Square ground in New Town where the pandal of the New Town Sarbojanin Durga Puja had come up.
A search for a road on the app will show a map on the screen. Pins in green and red will denote the availability or otherwise of parking space in that particular area.
A detailed breakdown of the number of spots available for four-wheelers and two-wheelers will also be displayed.
The app will also provide its users the option of booking a parking spot through the app.
The app titled Parkosi shows parking slots that are empty or occupied on a real-time basis and is available to both Android as well as iOS users.
Once the app is downloaded on a smartphone the app shows the empty slots and provides real-time inputs and directions to the parking slot.
Once at the slot, the motorist has to type in the OTP that comes to their registered mobile number, and the timer for the parking slot gets started.
During the time of exit, the parking fee is deducted from the mobile wallet of the driver of the car or the two-wheeler rider.
A senior official of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) said that the app elicited a very good response and they would like to implement it on normal parking lots run by the NKDA.
Akhtarul Iman, whose company Karlosi Technologies, has developed this app, said: “This app has taken off really well and we are getting very good feedback from motorists.”
Debashis Sen, the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) chairman who is also the NKDA chairman said that the system will not only stop the need for the exchange of tickets and currency but it will also be extremely “transparent.”
The Telegraph reported earlier how parking rackets thrive in Sector V and New Town with attendants charging anything between Rs 50 and Rs 200 depending on the hour of the day.
The parking rates fixed in Sector V and New Town are Rs 20 an hour for four-wheelers and Rs 10 per hour for two-wheelers.