Yes, you got it right! Between 10 pm and 7 am, if you park your car on any road under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (any KMC area), it may be seized by the KMC authorities. No drivable lane or by-lane is spared the regulation either.

Team WHEELS, in consultation with the Parking Department of KMC, reveals some startling parking regulations that should be common knowledge to all.

 

NIGHT PARKING NORMS
As stated by KMC Parking Department authorities to Team WHEELS, no road in Kolkata is free for any car parking at night. Though, during the day time, Kolkata has three modes of parking – free parking, fee-parking and no-parking; during the night, the regulation changes. From 10 pm at night till 7 am the following day, the whole of Kolkata becomes a fee-parking or a no-parking zone – with practically no free space.

As per KMC authorities, private cars are supposed to be parked inside private garages and not on KMC roads supposing it to be a free parking space. At night, if a car is parked on any road – the parking becomes illegal. Under such circumstances, KMC may impound the car by clamping it down. According to an official, KMC Parking Department, “Since there has been no raid yet on a particular road at night, it doesn’t mean that it is a free parking zone. It may be raided any night. No signage or intimation is required to notify that it is illegal to park a car on open roads at night.”

 

KMC has recently initiated regular raids at night for clamping down on vehicles parked illegally on the road. Once clamped, a fine of `1000 would be levied for the illegal parking, which has to be paid to KMC to release the vehicle. At times, the car may be towed by the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Department of KMC too, who then dumps the car at their Dhapa or Chingrighata depot. However, such raids are done in consultation with KMC Car Parking Department only.

As all roads in the city belong to the KMC, once the day parking time gets over at 10 pm, the regulatory control gets shifted directly to KMC. During the day parking time between 7 am and 10 pm, parking is regulated within the city by Kolkata Traffic Police but after 10 pm the parking control shifts to KMC. With the night parking regulations setting over the day parking norms – all city roads actually become 'fee-parking' zones – barring the '24 hours no-parking' zones. It is important to understand that just because a road is free parking during the day, it doesn’t qualify to become a free parking zone at night too.

 

DAILY NIGHT PARKING NORMS
In Kolkata under KMC jurisdiction there are two types of night parking norms – daily and monthly.

If you have to park your vehicle for a night or so, look out for the lease-hold night parking areas near your house, where you can park your car peacefully. The parking fee for one full night from 10 pm to 7 am the next day is Rs 30 only, (refer KMC rate chart) which has to be paid to the authorised parking agency who has taken the night parking slot under lease from KMC. As identification, the ear-marked night fee parking areas generally have notification boards of the night parking on display.

You may also choose to continue parking for a sustained period for a month or more at the authorised night parking slot rented out by the night parking agency at Rs 900 (Rs 30 per night x 30 nights)- should there be a vacant space. However, getting a space at these night parking slots may be a challenge as they mainly operate as night parking zones for commercial vehicles with monthly bookings.

 

MONTHLY NIGHT PARKING FACILITY
Motorists may avail monthly night parking facilities on public roads for their private vehicles directly from KMC at a rental of Rs 500 per month only (refer KMC rate chart).

 

The night parking place for a private car is generally permitted by KMC on the road itself in front of the car owner’s residence. However, if someone does not find a parking space in front of his own house, he can apply for a nearby spot, for which, though, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) would be required from the owner of the house in front of which it would be parked.

The code of the night parking lot against the street name is given in the KMC website under each KMC ward. For instance, 12 - N3/2014 is the code for Mohanlal Street night parking. Similarly, 5-N4/2014 stands for Bidhan Nagar Road while 1-B/2014 stands for Canal East Road. In these codes N3, N4 etc., indicate night parking lots.

To avail the night parking facility, an application has to be made to the KMC Parking Department with the name, address, contact number, car registration number, road name and details of the spot where the night parking is intended. Along with the application, the following documents have to be furnished: 

• Photocopy of the car Blue Book

• Photocopy of the PAN card (20% extra charge if PAN is not submitted)

• Photocopy of the Adhaar card (in case the current address is different from the permanent address)

• The aforementioned NOC, if applicable

The night parking fees have to be paid annually @ Rs 500 per month amounting to Rs 6000 per year along with taxes, totalling to `6,124 for 12 months. However, the monthly rental is calculated on a pro-rata basis for the remaining months in the financial year ending on 31st March. For example, if one applies in the beginning of October, he would have to pay for six months only – 1st October to 31st March.

 

The contract is generally renewed by KMC annually, on application by the car owner. Incidentally, no police permission has to be secured by the car owner or KMC for such night parking allotted by KMC.

Application for monthly night parking has to be made to the Chief Manager or Manager Parking and will be received at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Parking Department, 5 S. N. Banerjee Road, 3rd floor, Kolkata 700013. On receiving an application, KMC takes around seven working days to process the same.

On approval of the monthly night parking, KMC provides a possession certificate to the applicant along with a token (sticker) to be stuck on the windscreen of the car, carrying the allotment details such as the car registration number, road name, etc. At the time of KMC raids at night, the night parking sticker on the windscreen helps to avoid clamping down by the KMC authorities.

EXCLUSIVE PARKING SPACE
Car owners may also choose to hire an ‘exclusive’ car parking space for the day time, round the year. Such space would be earmarked exclusively for his/her car – provided it is adjacent or opposite to his/her place of work or is required on medical grounds.

 

The charges for ‘exclusive car parking’ by KMC is Rs 24,000 per car per annum. An application for an exclusive car space is received at the Parking Department in the KMC head office.

However, there are certain locations where exclusive parking is not granted – particularly at the ‘no-parking’ areas notified by Kolkata Traffic Police (KTP) and slots leased out to day-parking agencies.

The final allotment of an exclusive parking space, however, depends on the approval of Kolkata Traffic Police which has to be sought by KMC, as it concerns the daytime traffic movement.

As observed by KMC officials – some of the 'exclusive' day-parking applications don’t get passed by Kolkata Traffic Police, with no specific feedback. Under such circumstances, follow-up at the KTP office in Lalbazar has proved to be worthwhile in expediting the matter.

On granting the 'exclusive car parking' space, the responsibility of keeping the booked slot vacant, is the responsibility of the car owner. A small signboard for the same may be put up on the pavement adjacent to the reserved space to fetch the desired result.

Contacts:
Night Parking/Exclusive Parking
Parking Department
Kolkata Municipal Corporation
5 S. N. Banerjee Road
3rd floor, Kolkata 700013