Kolkata, Sept. 15 -- State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul conducted a surprise inspection on Tuesday, targeting illegal footpath encroachments and unauthorised parking in Salt Lake, specifically focusing on Ward 39 and the CA Market area.
Paul used a microphone and publicly rebuked those blocking pedestrian spaces. She issued a strict warning to clear all illegal structures on the pavements by nightfall.
Finding a construction site dumping sand, bricks, and concrete material across the sidewalk, Paul confronted the person in charge, warning that the building would be sealed immediately if the pathway wasn't cleared by Tuesday night.
She expressed deep dissatisfaction over private vehicles parked directly on sidewalks and busy streets. She mandated that "footpaths must be left for citizens" and ordered local police and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation officials to clear illegally parked vehicles.
The surprise drive aligns with the minister's ongoing city-wide beautification campaign, which includes introducing night parking regulations, using AI-assisted CCTV cameras to monitor public spaces, and imposing heavy penalties on property owners who leave vacant plots dirty. State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department has already announced modern and stringent measures aimed at tackling illegal parking, traffic congestion and indiscriminate garbage dumping across both urban and rural Bengal.
The department has already started issuing notices, making it clear that vehicles must now be parked only on the designated side of the road where authorised parking zones exist.
"We will not allow any illegal parking," said Paul, acknowledging the immense inconvenience caused to commuters due to years of unauthorised illegal parking.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.