The New Town authorities have decided to take a ‘hiring charge’ of Rs 500 for using a block park or playground from 8.30am to 6pm and post-9pm.
Entry to the parks and playgrounds for walkers or those who want to play is free from 5am to 8.30am and from 6pm to 8pm.
NKDA chairman Debashis Sen said the fee would mostly be levied on corporate bodies and other private organisations who want to use the grounds. “We want to collect the fee mainly from corporate bodies and other private organisations,” Sen said.
An official of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) said they had decided to levy Rs 500 as “hiring charge” for the playgrounds and parks beyond the stipulated period of free access. “One can use the ground for up to three hours by paying the fee,” the official said.
The money will be spent on the maintenance of the grounds, the official said.
“We will decide when to start levying the fee after a meeting with residents on Friday,” the official said.
The decision, however, has irked residents, who fear outsiders will book parks and playgrounds by paying the fee, making the grounds out of bounds for them.
“This is an extremely disheartening decision by the NKDA,” said New Town resident Partha Sarkar. “Most playgrounds and parks in Kolkata and Salt Lake have no access charge.”
An NKDA official told The Telegraph that they had decided to levy the fee because several block associations and private organisations were running soccer academies and other sports training programmes on the playgrounds.
“They are taking money from the children to train them and are using the playgrounds for free. We have decided to take the access charge from them to ensure that the parks can be maintained well,” said the official.
Samaresh Das, of New Town Forum and News, a residents’ body, said they had requested a meeting with NKDA officials to discuss the issue. “We want a transparent picture of who will be charged and how,” Das said.