The New Town authorities have decided to allow free parking for 30 minutes in fee parking zones across the township from Friday.
The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), which provides civic services in the township, took the decision following repeated requests from residents.
Residents have been saying that they are being forced to pay the parking fee for a full hour even when they park for a few minutes to buy grocery or medicines, or pick up their children from school.
In the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, the parking rates are Rs 10 an hour for cars and Rs 5 an hour for two-wheelers. However, motorists allege that in many places the parking attendants charge more.
There is no provision for free parking in the city.
In New Town, the parking rates are Rs 20 an hour for cars and Rs 10 an hour for two-wheelers.
In the new system introduced by the NKDA, motorists will be charged parking fees if the vehicles remain parked for more than 30 minutes. The duration will be calculated from the time the vehicles are parked at a spot.
A senior official of the NKDA said they had received requests from residents for some relaxation in the parking fee rule because they were being charged by parking agents for a full hour even if they parked their cars for 20 minutes to buy medicines.
“We have re-evaluated the parking fee structure. We carried out a survey and found that what the residents were saying was true. So we have decided to allow free parking in fee parking zones for the first 30 minutes,” the official said.
Samaresh Das, of the New Town Forum and News, a residents’ body that had actively campaigned for the free-parking-for-30-minutes-rule, said that unlike other places in the city, in New Town even the areas around block markets are fee parking zones.
“There were multiple instances of residents having been forced by parking agents to pay the parking fee for a full hour even if they parked their cars for five to 10 minutes. This was creating a lot of resentment among residents. We are happy that the authorities have modified the rule,” said Das.
There are around 15 fee parking zones in New Town. However, there have been complaints of residents being fleeced by unauthorised agents for parking vehicles in areas that have not been designated by the NKDA as fee-parking zones.