Several parking rackets are allegedly thriving in Salt Lake with impunity, duping residents as well as visitors and office-goers.
Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has let out designated parking zones by floating tenders to a few agencies, which are authorised to collect parking fees from owners, riders or drivers of vehicles parked in those slots.
But many people have alleged that groups of men are illegally collecting fees from commuters and others for parking their vehicles in pockets not designated as parking lots.
Such illegal parking spaces can be found in all three sectors of the township.
The Telegraph went around the township on Monday and spotted men collecting ‘parking fee’ from people who parked their cars or two-wheelers in empty spaces not designated as parking lots.
In Sector I, the stretch in front of ILS Hospitals, till the City Centre island, had cars parked in both flanks. Men stationed at regular intervals along the stretch were collecting money from people leaving with their vehicles.
Sumitra Pal, a resident of Lake Town in northeast Kolkata, who had come with her husband for a doctor’s consultation at ILS Hospitals, said she had to pay Rs 50 as parking fee to a man who claimed to be the parking attendant.
Cars at an illegal parking lot beside AMRI Hospitals Salt Lake Sourced by The Telegraph
Pal told this newspaper that she was not given any receipt or parking ticket for the ‘fee’.
In Sector III, a vacant plot beside AMRI Hospitals had a number of cars parked on it. Many bikes were parked in front of the service lane, making it difficult for other vehicles, including ambulances, to ply.
At least two men who identified themselves as ‘parking attendants’ were active along the stretch, collecting money from people who had parked their vehicles there.
Animesh Dasgupta, who had parked his car along the stretch, said he was asked to pay Rs 80 as parking fee.
“I parked my car for three hours. I asked them why the rates were so high but the men had no explanation. One of the men stood in front of the car to ensure that we could not drive away, while the other pocketed the money. We were not given any receipt,” said Dasgupta, a resident of Salt Lake.
The situation was similar at the illegal parking lot next to the EZCC complex, where this newspaper spotted a couple of youths collecting ‘parking fees’.
“We don’t have any parking slips. But if you want to park your car, you have to pay,” said one of the men who refused to identify himself.
An official of the BMC said they had hired private agencies, by floating tenders, to collect parking fees from a couple of parking zones near City Centre.
The parking rates fixed by the civic body are Rs 10 an hour for four-wheelers and Rs 5 an hour for two-wheelers.
“No one is allowed to collect any parking fee from owners or riders of vehicles found parked in pockets not designated as parking zones by the civic body. Such collection of money is illegal,” said an official of the civic body.
“We will take action against the people collecting parking fees illegally.”
The civic body has in its budget estimation pegged its earning from parking fees at Rs 75 lakh.
Mayor Krishna Chakraborty said she would look into the matter and would call a meeting with senior police officers to draw up plans to set up designated parking zones. “We will also issue identity cards for parking attendants and put up rate charts as well,” she said.