Kolkata, Aug 4 (IANS) State Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul on Tuesday said that an app-based parking system will soon be launched in Kolkata to stop the menace of illegal parking and unauthorised cash transactions.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is taking this initiative to bring transparency to the entire issue, said the minister.
She made it clear that no kind of parking irregularities will be tolerated. Cars should be parked in specific parking spaces identified by the municipal corporation, and parking anywhere else will not be allowed.
“Kolkata Police has identified about 15,000 parking spaces under the municipal corporation area. Out of these, 10,000 have already been listed. The rest will be reviewed and added to the list. Cars or bikes should be parked in the listed parking spaces,” said the minister.
Paul also said that the municipal corporation will introduce an app-based system to maintain transparency and eliminate complications in parking. She informed that Kolkata Police is developing the app.
According to the minister, parking fees will be collected through the app to discourage cash transactions. “There will be a list of parking fees at each identified parking space. The list will also mention how much money will be paid per hour for a given car. There will be specific staff at the parking lot,” she said.
Each staff member must wear specific clothing and have a photo ID. At the same time, cars and bikes cannot be parked on the sidewalk.
Earlier in December 2023, then Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim announced the launch of a new app to solve the problem of illegal parking. He had said that the Transport Department, Kolkata Police and KMC would be simultaneously involved in the new technology.
The Transport Department would be able to know if the app detected car parking anywhere in Kolkata. That information would also go to the KMC and the police. A message mentioning any fine would be sent to the car owner’s mobile phone based on the car number.
At that time, Hakim had said that the owner of the vehicle concerned would have to deposit the illegal parking fine within seven days. If the car owner did not deposit the fine, the fine amount for that vehicle would increase. If the fine was not deposited within a year, it would also create obstacles in getting the vehicle’s clearance certificate at the end of the year. However, the initiative did not start for various reasons.
–IANS
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