Calcutta police have announced elaborate parking rules to prevent disruptions during Puja.

In their guide map for Puja 2009, the cops have designated areas around popular pandals where parking will be allowed and roads where it will be prohibited.Deputy commissioner Dilip Banerjee said parking problems had become a headache for both police and motorists during Puja.

“Thousands of people from the suburbs come to the city in cars during the festival. To prevent parking from becoming a big hassle we have pointed out in our guide map roads where people can keep their cars. The guide map will be available at all police stations, roadside police kiosks and Metro stations,” added Banerjee.

Motorists feel the map may prove helpful during the festive rush. “Last year, I had a harrowing time parking my car. I had to avoid several pandals only because I had no idea where to park,” said Asish Sengupta, a resident of Golf Green.

The traffic department has designated 56 roads as no-parking zones from 4am to 4pm from September 24 to September 27.

In north Calcutta, parking will not be allowed on the stretch between the Shyambazar five-point crossing and Galiff Street, on Rabindra Sarani from BK Pal Avenue to Bagbazar Street, on Beadon Street between CR Avenue and Bidhan Sarani and on Nimtalaghat Street and College Street.

In central Calcutta, parking will be banned on both sides of SN Banerjee Road and Vivekananda Road, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Sarani, both sides of CR Avenue and Jatindra Mohan Avenue.

The 29 roads in south Calcutta where parking has been barred include the stretch of Shambhunath Pandit Road between Asutosh Mukherjee Road and Harish Mukherjee Road, both sides of Hindusthan Road, the stretch of Kalighat Road from Hazra Road to Rashbehari Avenue, Darga Road, Park Circus connector and Lake Gardens Road.

In the south-western part of the city, parking will not be allowed on Karl Marx Sarani, between Kidderpore Bridge and Satya Doctor Road, Mohan Chand Road and Russell Street.