Buses parked at Rajabazar — Photo by Indranil Das
Kolkata: Following illegal parking of buses on key roads, disruption of bus services, every day run-ins with cops and even disruption of services that led to route 52 (Ramrajatala-Esplanade) stopping services briefly, the transport department has now agreed to reintroduce night parking at an old fee of Rs 700 per bus per month. This parking will be restricted between 10 pm and 5 am, said sources. As of Sept 9, following discussions with the state transport minister, we are hopeful that night parking of buses is set to resume soon….The night parking issue has finally been resolved, bringing significant relief to bus owners.
Welcoming the transport department’s intervention, bus union leaders confirmed that resuming night parking under the unrevised fee structure provides significant operational relief to vehicle owners.
“It has been decided to reintroduce the old bus parking rates based on my consultation with the bus unions,” transport minister Arjun Singh told TOI on Wednesday. Police said that a few weeks will be provided for bus owners to make alternate arrangements after which there will be prosecutions. We are merely marking the zone where the parking has to be completed in one single row,” said an officer in Behala.
Civic authorities and police are expected to outline approved parking bays across major routes to ensure smooth traffic flow while accommodating overnight fleet management. The transport department’s efforts came after a meeting in this regard between the transport minister with Tapan Banerjee of the joint Council of Bus Syndicate. The Joint Council of Bus Syndicates extends heartfelt thanks to the Transport Minister. The Kolkata Traffic Police, meanwhile, has decided to step up against illegal bus terminuses and makeshift night parking of buses which is leading to unnecessary narrowing down of the main thoroughfares in the city and thus disrupting the normal flow of traffic. At certain points, it is also contributing to jams. “We are not asking owners to shift the terminus.
The same fee that was charged earlier will continue to apply now,” claimed Banerjee.