Minister of State of the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department Agnimitra Paul on Thursday, May 14, said that the state government will launch a crackdown on illegal parking rackets and waste mismanagement across the state.
“Illegal parking rackets that used to thrive in the past 15 years would collect fees from vehicles parked on both sides of the road. We will not allow this anymore,” Paul said.
Paul said that in Kolkata as well as across the state parking fees are collected by “agencies or people illegally and taxes from these collections don’t reach the coffers of the government”.
“This has to stop and we will take concrete steps to address the issues related to illegal parking rackets that were thriving under the erstwhile state government,” Paul said on Thursday outside the state Assembly.
People in Kolkata have often faced the brunt of parking rackets across the city. Residents have complained about how they are fleeced by parking attendants and are forced to pay more than the stipulated parking rates in the city.
On most occasions, parking attendants do not carry proper identity cards, nor do they provide proper parking slips.
There have been incidents where vehicle owners have been threatened and even assaulted in the name of parking.
Both the Kolkata Municipal Corporation as well as the police have had multiple complaints regarding parking in Kolkata.
Paul also spoke about the waste management system in the state and termed it as “waste mismanagement by the erstwhile state government.”
“Collection and disposal of waste has been a recurring problem of Bengal. I have seen it in Asansol as well as Kolkata where garbage lined streets are common. We are launching an app where residents can upload pictures. Teams will be sent out to clear the area within a couple of hours,” Paul said, before adding that municipalities and corporations will be notified about this soon and residents should also ensure that their areas remain clean by not dumping garbage and waste in empty plots and along the sides of the roads.