Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has announced a new no-parking rule on city roads every morning from 7 am to 9 am. This directive, aimed at addressing impediments to citywide cleaning efforts, mandates that all roads must be completely free of parked vehicles during this two-hour window.

The decision comes after Hakim received multiple complaints about how parked cars obstruct road sweeping and garbage removal, particularly hindering the effective operation of cleaning machines.

“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,” the mayor said.

To ensure immediate enforcement, the mayor has instructed Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Commissioner Sumit Gupta to collaborate with Kolkata Police and issue an official notification for the parking ban.

According to a senior KMC official, the restriction is universal, applying to all types of vehicles, including private cars, buses, and minibuses. This even encompasses vehicles typically parked overnight in designated residential spots or depots. All vehicles must be moved off the streets before 7 am.

Stricter enforcement of parking rules was found to be the need of the hour after a recent call during the mayor’s public interaction programme, Talk to Mayor. On Friday, resident Rajsekhar Ghosh from Haltu, Kasba, called in to complain about rampant illegal parking on the road adjacent to a canal. Hakim promptly directed the municipal commissioner to take necessary action.

Hakim stated that vehicle owners must take responsibility for parking, pointing out that government-level paid parking facilities are available. However, a significant number of residents have developed a “tendency to park vehicles on roads from night till late in the day”, which, he noted, prevents KMC sweepers from carrying out their essential work.