The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is preparing to relaunch an app-based system to curb illegal parking, with the civic body and Kolkata Police seeking to fix the technical and operational problems that affected an earlier plan announced in 2023.
The proposed system is intended to improve monitoring of parking spaces, make fee collection more transparent and help authorities act against vehicles parked outside designated areas. The move comes as cars and motorcycles continue to line both sides of several Kolkata roads, while vehicles parked on footpaths restrict space available to pedestrians.
According to information reported by Anandabazar, the new arrangement will identify approved parking locations and display the hourly fee applicable at each site. The civic body has instructed residents to park cars and two-wheelers only in designated and authorised areas. Parking on footpaths will not be accepted under the proposed system.
Parking personnel will also be required to wear designated uniforms and carry photo identity cards. These requirements are intended to make it easier for motorists to identify authorised staff and to bring greater clarity to the operation of municipal parking areas.
The proposed app is expected to connect the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Police, with the transport department also envisaged as part of the wider system. Details relating to parking locations, fees and suspected illegal parking would be managed through the technology platform, according to the report.
The civic administration had previously announced a similar plan in December 2023. The then mayor, Firhad Hakim, had said that the system would allow information about illegally parked vehicles to reach the relevant departments. A vehicle owner was also expected to receive a penalty message on the mobile number linked to the vehicle registration.
Under that earlier plan, the fine was to increase if it remained unpaid for seven days. If a penalty remained outstanding for up to a year, the vehicle owner could face difficulties in obtaining necessary clearances. However, the proposed system did not become operational, with technical shortcomings and implementation failures cited as reasons for the setback.
The relaunch is therefore being framed around lessons from the earlier initiative. The corporation and police are seeking to develop a system that can avoid the previous technical problems while improving oversight of parking operations. The plan also addresses long-standing allegations of financial irregularities linked to parking, including instances where vehicles are parked outside the approved list of locations.
For pedestrians, the immediate issue is the use of footpaths and road edges by parked vehicles. The proposed system could provide a common mechanism for recording parking locations, fees and violations, but its effectiveness will depend on the accuracy of the designated parking database, enforcement on the ground and coordination between the civic body, police and transport authorities.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Police are now working towards introducing the revised app-based arrangement. The report does not specify a launch date or provide details of the final technology platform.
