KOLKATA: In the tony neighbourhoods of Loudon Street, Rawdon Street and Shakespeare Sarani, the names, Raju-da or Basu-da, should not ring a bell. But ask any parent of a child who studies in one of the schools in this belt and he or she will tell you they are among the most sought-after individuals on school days.
With traffic police announcing a prohibition on parking on Loudon Street, Rowdon Street, Robinson Street, Moira Street and Hungerford Street during school hours to ease traffic snarls, Raju-da, Basu-da and other such private parking agents-cum-valets have emerged as saviours for families that send cars to drop and pick up their children from school. These agents, most of whom are otherwise engaged as private security guards in nearby properties—some of them empty plots or under-development projects—who offer a “tension-free” parking space for parents desperate looking to leave their vehicles for 15-20 minutes during which they go to schools to pick up their wards before driving away with them.
