The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has received about 90 applications for night parking in the last couple of months and has granted permission to 59 applicants, an official of the civic body said on Monday.
Car owners who do not own garages can apply to the KMC for permission to park their vehicles on roads at night — from 10pm till 7am — for a fee. Civic officials conduct an inspection and determine whether night parking can be allowed on the street.
The night parking fee for a car is Rs 500 a month.
Thousands of cars remain parked on roads — arterial roads as well as lanes — in the city at night because of lack of garage space. The problem is more acute in north and central Kolkata where old buildings lack garages.
Most of the apartment complexes that have come up in recent years have parking space on the ground floor.
A resident of Beadon Street, in north Kolkata, said they had been looking for a garage in the area for several months but failed to find one. “We had asked neighbours, residents of apartment blocks in the area with parking space and several others to inform us about any vacant parking space that we can buy or take on rent. None could give us any information,” he said.
“We have received 90 applications for permission for night parking in the last two months. Fifty-nine applications have been approved and nine have been rejected. In regard to some other applications, we have sought more documents,” said a KMC official.
“All applications for night parking are to be made online, through the KMC website or the s-Parking app.”
The civic body, officials said, is focusing on boosting revenue collection from issuing permissions for night parking.
The Telegraph had on April 3 reported that the KMC inspectors were pasting posters on cars found illegally parked on roads at night, urging owners to apply for permission for night parking.
The poster read: “The vehicle has been found to be unauthorisedly parked at this place. As per the KMC schedule, the fine for unauthorised parking is Rs 1,000.... This is the final warning to you either not to park this vehicle here or to obtain permission for night parking in front of your premises.”
