A member of Sabita Swanirvar Gosthi at work. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Pratima Mukherjee was 39 and unemployed when she lost her husband in 2001. The graduate from Muralidhar Girls’ College put her son Joy through school but could not fund his education beyond that. Seven years later, Joy, 22, is attending computer hardware classes.

Minati Mandal, 38, had toiled after her husband’s death in 1998 but could not make enough to continue her three children’s studies. The eldest, Mousumi, is now in the first year of graduation, and the other two are in school.

The turning point for Pratima, Minati and nine other women was their decision to start collecting parking fees outside the Big Bazaar store near Hiland Park, on the Bypass, as part of Sabita Swanirvar Gosthi. The parking lot is the only one run solely by women.

Khuku De, one of the oldest members of the group, says local councillor Samarendra Roy had suggested the idea to destitute women of the area.

“We began working as parking fee collectors in February 2007, charging cars Rs 5 per hour. We applied for the Calcutta Municipal Corporation licence the same month. Since we got the licence this February, we have been charging the normal rate of Rs 7 per hour,” adds Khuku.

The income varies from season to season, but the 11 agree that they are better off than before. “We make between Rs 600 and Rs 1,500 every month. Several factors determine the income. Business is bad in monsoon. The pujas are also a lean period for us,” says Pratima.

One of the reasons for the fluctuation in car count is that other large stores and malls have sprung up in the area. “A major chunk of shoppers now go to the Big Bazaar branch in Bagha Jatin, the Spencer’s branch at Avishikta or South City,” adds Pratima.

The women complain that they face regular harassment from car owners and their drivers. “Even after we show them our identity cards, people use foul language… ‘These tactics will not work, you won’t get a dime out of me’ is a familiar refrain. Taxi drivers often come to our rescue,” says Minati.

Some of the members, like 25-year-old Anima Sarkar (name changed), used to feel shy about speaking to strangers but have had to get over such inhibitions: “My in-laws were initially against me doing such an odd job but my husband supported me. The extra income settled the issue.”

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya says the civic body never doubted that the women would run the parking lot as well as men. “We will issue licences to other women’s groups soon.”