Even after the formation of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, the car parking scenario in Salt Lake remains chaotic. Team WHEELS reports.

Bidhannagar or Salt Lake was developed between 1958 and 1965 as a planned satellite city of Kolkata. Although Bidhannagar got its own elected body called Bidhannagar Municipality in 1995, it was on 18 June 2015 that the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was constituted. Even after 25 years of forming of the municipality, the car parking scenario in the township continues to reel under a situation of disorganised chaos.

 

Parking in Sector V, Salt Lake, was later bestowed upon Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) on its formation in January 2006 and excluded from the jurisdiction of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. The parking norms are different in Sector V as compared to the rest of Salt Lake in general.

In the absence of any parking department, there has been rampant extortion at parking zones by the local goons in Salt Lake. Many motorists considered the parking anarchy to be a ploy of the local politicians with the connivance of the administration to take advantage of the chaotic situation.

Kolkata on WHEELS has been receiving complaints against unauthorised collection of parking fees in areas of Salt Lake that are not designated as parking zones. Team WHEELS visited the BMC Head Office in Salt Lake on 11.12.19 and observed various discrepancies as follows.

Absence of dedicated Parking Department
There is no dedicated Parking Department in the BMC even after four and half years of the formation of BMC. On enquiry at the parking department, we were directed to Rabi Ray, a computer operator in the Assessment Department. Ray was reluctant to speak on the subject and directed Team WHEELS to the Executive Engineer Monodip Mukhopadhyay. This officer was found to be managing multiple departments including parking. The basic queries by Team WHEELS were addressed by the Executive Engineer who then redirected the team to Rabi Ray for details, once again.

Authorised parking zones in Bidhannagar
There is no information available about the authorised parking zones in Bidhannagar either at the office of the BMC or on the internet. An online search for the ‘authorised parking zones in Bidhannagar,’ would lead to a list of proposed car parking zones published by Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. Sadly, the parking list displayed online by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate is actually proposed and hence non-operative, as pointed out by the Executive Engineer of the BMC.

 

According to Mononjit Mukherjee,  "Only three zones have been leased out by BMC so far that are functional as follows:
1) City Centre1, 3rd Avenue (both sides)
2) CF Swimming Pool (both sides)
3) GD Island to Labony Island (both sides)
Any parking zone apart from these three, is a free parking zone at present."

 

To tally with the parking areas as published online by Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, Team WHEELS surveyed a few stretches such as the service lane in front of AMRI Hospital and EZCC to Columbia Asia Hospital. No parking attendant could be found in these areas which are considered as free parking zones by BMC. The local shopkeepers however informed that there used to be parking extortion by miscreants earlier which has stopped over last three months.

Thus, it was evident that the list of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate actually shows the proposed parking zones in Bidhannagar that have been earmarked by BMC to be leased out for parking but do not qualify as authorised parking zones.

 

BMC Parking Fee
The official parking fee in Bidhannagar also could not be traced anywhere by Team WHEELS including the official website of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

 

Although the parking list published online by Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate states the words ‘Parking Capacity with rates of Parking Fee,’ it does not actually depict any official parking fee. On careful observation it is evident that the figures shown in the list are actually the parking capacities and not the parking fees.

It was admitted by the BMC officials that no parking fee is displayed yet by BMC. On inquiry of the official parking fee, an official of BMC verbally described it as being Rs 20 for the first hour and Rs 10 per hour for subsequent hours.

Motorists, however, complain about the unreasonably high parking fee in Salt Lake. Debraj Dey, an IT employee complains, “The high parking fee of Rs 20 for the first hour is quite pinching. Considering a halt for even 5 minutes at a medical store or food pick up joint is taxed unreasonably with Rs 20 for the parking. This needs to be reduced immediately by the authorities. Since Kolkata Municipal Corporation still has Rs 10 as the parking fee for the first hour, why would the motorists in Salt Lake be charged such a high fee?”

 

A mobile app for parking was initiated by BMC for the parking agents in the three authorised parking areas; but in reality it could not be implemented. Printed paper tickets are hence issued against the parking fees in the authorised areas in Bidhannagar, paving the way for more fraudulent extortion by the parking agents.

An officer at BMC also confirmed, "No night parking is yet applicable under the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation."

Illegal Parking Zone
Considering the three authorised parking zones in Bidhannagar as stated, Team Wheels identified 2nd Cross Road, beside City Centre 1, opposite the Indian Oil retail outlet, extorting illegal parking fees from motorists.

 

With the chaotic parking scenario in Bidhannagar at present, Kolkata on WHEELS pleads with the concerned authorities to bring transparency into the system and act to upgrade the parking system to help streamline matters and to aid the beleaguered motorists.

 

Parking Complaints:
The BMC officers assured of appropriate action against the parking complaints. As directed by Monojit Mukherjee of BMC, complaints against parking irregularities have to be addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, and submitted to his office at AD Block, Action Area I, New Town, with copies of the complaints submitted to the Executive Engineer (in charge of parking), Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Poura Bhawan, 415A, FD Block, Sector - III, Bidhannagar, along with relevant evidence.

 

Contacts for parking complaints in Bidhannagar:
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic)
Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate
AD Block (Newtown), Action Area I, Newtown – 700156
Phone: 033-2324 1073

 

Executive Engineer - Parking
Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation,

Poura Bhawan, 415A, FD Block
Sector - III, Bidhannagar,
Kolkata 700106
Phone: 033-2359 7915