Bogged down by the police curbs on work at the underground car park on Lindsay Street, the civic authorities and their private partner (Simplex Projects) plan to commission it in phases.

Civic officials said on Friday that they were trying to get a portion of the car park — already six months behind schedule — commissioned during the Pujas and the rest early in 2006.

“All our plans have gone awry because of the latest round of restrictions on construction,” said an official. “We will require another year to get it going.”

Police clamped severe curbs on night-time construction after a slew of complaints from elderly residents, whose houses developed cracks due to the heavy-duty construction.

On Friday, the residents approached the police for an agreement that will award them permanent tenancies if they are shifted from home. “We hear Simplex wants to shift the senior citizens to hotels while work is underway. We told police we are willing to shift,” said a resident.

“The only condition is that the Calcutta Municipal Corporation will be a party to a written agreement, along with Simplex, signed before the police, that will award permanent tenancies to all senior citizens, instead of a temporary shift to hotels,” the residents said.

Each tenant, in turn, promised to return to his original home after the car park is ready, provided he was convinced about the safety of the structure and foundation of the old buildings.