Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has directed that all city roads remain completely free of parked vehicles between 7 am and 9 am to ensure uninterrupted road sweeping. He has asked Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Commissioner Sumit Gupta to coordinate with the police and issue a notification enforcing this two-hour no-parking window.
Explaining the reason behind the decision, the Mayor said while addressing the media at the Kolkata Municipality Corporation, “The sweepers associated with cleaning the city roads cannot execute their work properly due to parking on the city roads. Parked vehicles often obstruct road cleaning machines and make it difficult to remove accumulated garbage and dirt. I have instructed our Municipal Commissioner to coordinate with the Kolkata Police and ensure that there is no parking on city roads from 7 am to 9 am.”
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A senior KMC official said that the restriction will apply to all kinds of vehicles—private cars, buses, minibuses, and even those that are usually kept overnight in designated spots or depots. As per the new rule, all vehicles must be moved off the streets before 7 am, allowing sweepers and cleaning machines to work without obstruction.
The mayor is also discussing this matter with the Kolkata Police to figure out how to make this process smoother.
The issue gained attention after a caller, Rajsekhar Ghosh from Haltu in Kasba, reported in the ‘Talk to Mayor’ programme that illegal parking was rampant on a road adjoining a canal. Reacting immediately, the Mayor instructed the Municipal Commissioner to act on the complaint.
Mayor Hakim added that car owners must take responsibility for finding proper parking arrangements. While government facilities are available for a fee, he pointed out that many people leave their vehicles on the streets overnight and well into the morning, preventing KMC workers from cleaning the roads efficiently.
