Accosted after asking for slip, prof fights off Gariahat parking mafia
Times of India | 31 August 2024
Kolkata: An assistant professor has alleged that she was threatened by six to seven parking goons on Thursday evening when she asked for a slip after paying Rs 40 for parking her car under the Gariahat flyover for 30 minutes. Parking below the flyover is currently free and the charge for parking a car in Rs 10 per hour elsewhere in the city.
Teesta Dey, the geography department head at Kidderpore College, said she had countered the a Facebook Live threat that forced the men to back off.
The parking lot in question was temporarily taken over by Gariahat police a few months ago to stop extortion by illegal parking fee collectors. It had declared it a free-parking space as the earlier agency that had won the contract to collect parking fee had relinquished the site and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is yet to float a tender to appoint a new agency.
The Southeast Traffic Guard said they had been intimated about the incident by Lalbazar after Dey tagged Kolkata traffic police in her post. Gariahat police is attempting to track the accused. “We will ask her to lodge a complaint with Gariahat police. We have also raised the issue with KMC,” said an officer.
“After leaving college, I went to a meeting at the Gariahat intersection. I parked my car just past the crossing, next to the public toilet, under the flyover. After an hour and a half, I finished the meeting and was about to get into my car when a man came to collect the parking fee. I handed him a Rs 50 note and asked, ‘Can you give me the slip?’ The man, looking a bit confused, returned Rs 10 and said, ‘Slip? There’s no slip.’ I replied, ‘You should have a machine to issue parking slips, and the registered personnel should give the slip.’ Annoyed, he said, ‘Alright, wait, I’ll check.’ He left and didn’t return. My driver suggested we leave, but I insisted on waiting to see what would transpire,” professor Dey wrote.
Dey stated that the man returned after a while as another car was trying to park in the same spot and asked, “Why are you still here?” I said: “How can I leave without the slip?” He retorted: “Don’t create a fuss over Rs 40, move quickly, another car needs to park.” I responded, “I won’t leave. You bring the slip first, then we’ll talk. I’m aware of the traffic system.” Hearing this, he returned with seven or eight well-built men who surrounded me. One of them told me, “This is how things work here. Move quickly.” The others echoed: “Move, move quickly.”
Dey claimed she remained calm and said: “I am a female govt officer. More importantly, I am right, and you are wrong. You can act tough, but remember, everything can be shared on social media these days. The public is angry. The power you are showing off will vanish in an instant. Do you want to see?”
Dey told TOI on Friday that it worked like magic. “They exchanged glances and even returned my money. This incident is neither my first nor my last. I saw fear in their eyes, something I hadn’t seen before. They realized that the public is angry and ready to protest,” said Dey.
The post attracted over 120 odd comments. “This problem occurs frequently. Especially during the festival season, they have a field day. It’s very necessary to stand up against it,” wrote Madhabi Mitra.
“During exams, I drive to college to take my exam. My car remains parked a little distance from my college at Golpark. When I get into my car after my exams, a parking attendant asks for Rs 40-60. I have often asked for a receipt, but they won’t give one. On the day of my last semester’s exam, they handed me a crumpled piece of paper, claiming that the money had to be given to ‘KMDA’ and not ‘KMC’,” claimed Arko Das.