Workshops to repair vehicles that have mushroomed on the pavement along the service lane opposite Sukhobrishti Housing Complex in New Town will be razed, said an official of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) that provides civic services in the area.
The owners of the units will be allowed to set up shop in an area beside the Sukhobrishti bus terminus, around 800m from their current location, the official said.
The plot where they will be relocated has been allotted by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco).
Over the years, pavement-grabbing makeshift car and motorcycle garages, paint shops and shops selling car and bike accessories have mushroomed on the walkway near Sukhobrishti Housing Complex.
The units are made of flammable items such as plastic sheets, bamboo poles and plywood.
They pose a serious fire threat as most store fuel and other lubricants in the open, officials said. Vehicles in need of repairs remain parked in the service lane, blocking it completely.
The garages and the parked vehicles have rendered the walkway useless. Also, no one can use the service lane leading to housing complexes such as DLF New Town Heights, Elita Garden Vista and Sukhobrishti Housing Complex.
A senior NKDA official said there are a total of 25 garages on that stretch of the pavement.
According to him, all 25 will be relocated.
“We have held a series of meetings with the mechanics and owners of these garages and they have agreed to shift. Removal of these garages from the pavement
and the service lane is required as they are rendering both the walkway and the service lane useless,” the official said.
According to the official, the cost of readying the space for these 25 garages on the Hidco-allotted plot would be more than Rs 84 lakh.
Residents of the area welcomed the move. Many get their vehicles serviced in these garages.
“These mechanics had gone beyond their call of duty and helped us get vehicles out of flooded basement parking areas. Many of us are dependent on them. But it is also true that they have blocked the entire service lane by parking vehicles and keeping equipment there,” said Mainak Kanrar, a resident of Sukhobrishti Housing Complex.
The tender process for building the sheds for the garages and installing other infrastructure has been floated. The work is expected to finish by early next year.
Earlier this month, the NKDA had managed to move a section of hawkers who had set up stalls in the service lane opposite Sukhobrishti Housing Complex to a temporary hawkers’ market.