The mayor of Trinamul Congress-run Durgapur Municipal Corporation has not been spared by youths involved in running several unauthorised car parking lots in the town.
A group of youths, who operate an unauthorised parking lot of four-wheelers and two-wheelers in front of a hospital in the town’s City Centre, stopped mayor Dilip Agasty’s car after he refused to pay “parking fee” a month ago.
The harassment was revealed by Agasty at the meeting of the mayoral council on Thursday. Sources said the mayor expressed his anger and dissatisfaction over mushrooming illegal car parking lots.
“Some youths stopped my car and asked me to pay the parking fee. I told them that ‘I am the mayor of this town’. Even then, they dared to harass me. I told them that this parking lot was illegal and I will not pay them,” said Agasty, who was returning home after recovering from Covid-19. The incident took place outside the Health World hospital.
Agasty’s son was in the driving seat and he was trying to pacify the youths but they started thumping on the car’s bonnet. “The youths gave us a slip without any official seal and continued demanding money,” the mayor told the reporters on Friday.
The mayor’s personal secretary was informed and he, along with some local Trinamul workers, had to rush to the spot to free Agasty from the clutches of the youths.
The sources said Agasty rebuked deputy mayor Anindita Mukherjee for the mushrooming of illegal parking lots in her municipal ward area.
“The parking lot in front of the hospital is illegal. I did not allow anyone to run any unauthorised parking lot in my ward,” said Mukherjee, who represents ward 22 at the City Centre.
The sources said most of the illegal parking lots had come up at City Centre and Bidhannagar as those areas house government offices, including court and the sub-divisional headquarters of Durgapur.
“Both the areas have several banks, hospitals, restaurants and shopping malls where a large number of people come for work. Local unemployed youths backed by the ruling party have set up several car parking lots illegally as a source of income,” said a Trinamul leader in the town.
The relative of a patient at Health World hospital said he went to the healthcare facility at least thrice a day and each time ended up coughing up around Rs 20 depending on the duration of the stay.
The parking lot operators charge two-wheeler owners Rs 10 for each hour of stay, while those who park their cars are arbitrarily charged between Rs 20 and Rs 30 for one hour.
CPM West Burdwan district secretariat member Pankaj Roy Sarkar said: “The situation in Durgapur is so bad that a mayor is not spared by Trinamul-backed hooligans who run unauthorised parking lots in the city.”
Agasti said the illegal parking lots had come up on the land of the Asansol-Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA). “I have urged the chairman of the ADDA to remove all illegal parking lots from its land. Those operating the illegal parking lots are extorting and harassing people,” said Agasti.
The ADDA chairman, Tapas Banerjee, said they had only four authorised parking lots – three at City Centre and one at Bidhannagar in Durgapur town.
“We take action against illegal parking lots whenever we get complaints. We will do it again,” said Banerjee.
