New Delhi: In another attempt to dissuade people from using their personal vehicles and minimise pollution during severe pollution days, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will table a revised proposal on Thursday for doubling the parking fees as called for under the Graded Response Action Plan. An earlier proposal in the MCD House suggested a fourfold increase in the rates but was referred back.
“A revised proposal regarding enhancement of parking fees by two times to carry out the direction under Stage II of GRAP will be tabled in the House meeting on Thursday,” informed an MCD official on Tuesday. The civic body operates around 400 surface parking facilities managed by concessionaires. At present, the hourly parking rate is Rs 20 for four wheelers and Rs 10 for two wheelers.
MCD had earlier made several unsuccessful attempts to grant the commissioner the authority to adjust parking fees but the proposal was rejected five or six times. “In the past 10 months, even before GRAP norms were enforced, MCD proposed that the commissioner be given the power to increase parking fees by up to four time as soon as GRAP II came into force,” the official said. “In fact, a second proposal to rationalise the parking fees depending on the location and footfall in the area was also tabled in the House. However, both proposals were put on hold. Later, the proposal to hike parking fees under GRAP was referred back. We can’t go ahead with the proposal without the nod of the elected councillors.”
In contrast, NDMC has successfully implemented parking fee increases at its facilities when GRAP II is enforced. On Oct 22, NDMC issued an order doubling the existing fees for off-road and indoor parking facilities under its management until GRAP II was lifted.
An NDMC official said there were off-road parking areas alongside main carriageways, such as at Connaught Place, and indoor parking or covered facilities in complexes like Palika Bazaar, Shivaji Stadium and Baba Kharak Singh Road. The increased charges do not affect monthly passes or on-street parking areas where fees are already elevated due to high footfall, including at Pandara Park and Bengali markets.
