A new parking lot opposite the main gate of New Town Business Club was thrown open to the public on August 15. Although called New Town Business Club Parking Lot, the space is open to non-members too.

“The club already has about 2,500 members and during events and special occasions lots of members and their guests come down with cars,” explained Debashis Sen, chairman of New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), that is in charge of the parking lot. Sen inaugurated the space and said the surroundings become all the more congested when events like Marudhar Mela take place.

“At present the streets outside offer free parking but parking becomes difficult during occasions. So this designated space was the need of the hour,” said Sen.

The parking lot offers space for 105 cars and regular NKDA parking rates of Rs 10 per hour for cars and Rs 5 for two-wheelers will apply. However, club members are eligible to pay Rs 1,000 and avail unlimited parking round the year for one car per member. Club members with two-wheelers shall avail of the offer paying Rs 500.

“This space was originally a stackyard for the Public Health Engineering department. It stored pipes, drums and the like. But the need for a parking lot was so urgent in this locality that we shifted it elsewhere to create this space,” said Sen.