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Journalism of Courage
The Congress on Tuesday staged a demonstration at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata and burned an effigy of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim against the recent hike in parking fees by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Party workers raised slogans and held placards, criticising Hakim for the hike and took out a rally from Paradise Cinema to Governor House.
“The state government and the central government are both destroying the culture of West Bengal. If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Mayor Firhad Hakim don’t bring down parking fees, our party members will swarm the streets and will lock the gates of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. We held a peaceful protest today. If the situation in West Bengal doesn’t change, our protests will not be peaceful,” said party leader Suman Paul.
Car parking fees under the jurisdiction of KMC was increased last Saturday. The new parking fee for four-wheelers has been hiked to Rs 20 an hour for the first two hours. The old rate was Rs 10 an hour from 7am to 10pm.
According to the new rates, the car parking fee is Rs 40 an hour from the third till the fifth hour. After that, the rate is Rs 100 an hour. In case of two wheelers, the rates will be Rs 10 per hour for the first two hours, Rs 20 per hour from third to the fifth hour and Rs 50 per hour beyond the fifth hour.
