Kolkata: Kolkata Traffic Police has identified around 115 probable parking spots across the city – where there is either free or illegal parking already in existence – that can be converted into authorized fee-based zones by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Each of the city’s 26 traffic guards conducted localized surveys and submitted recommendations detailing five to 25 prospective sites to police headquarters at Lalbazar.
Senior officers of the city police said they have proposed this parking lot opposite Kailash Building on Chowringhee Road though the elevation of the flyover will mean that numbers will remain restricted than initial calculations. Beyond expanding revenue-generating spots, authorities are cracking down on illegal “ghost operators”—unauthorised touts who exploit free zones by unlawfully collecting money without valid KMC contracts, public tender, or official signage. Lalbazar has formally forwarded this consolidated list to the KMC for feasibility reviews. The operational push also follows another high-level traffic review meetings at Lalbazar, where senior officers evaluated guard-wise listings to distinguish legally leased parking slots from non-metered free zones. Police officers have also requested the KMC to revive and re-commission the multi-storey Parkomat automated parking facility in New Market to alleviate severe congestion and curb illegal parking in the commercial hub. The state government and Lalbazar are also developing a unified digital parking platform to enable UPI/card payments, provide real-time slot availability through GIS-mapped sensors, and link POS terminals directly to police databases for automated fraud tracking.