New Delhi: To manage the congested roads of the national capital, the Aam Aadmi Party government had prepared a new parking policy which has been now approved by the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
The new Policy is now open for suggestion from the public and other stakeholders for a month. After all, suggestions are received, the required amendments will be made, and the final policy will be again sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. After its approval, the final order would be issued.
If the new rules are implemented, the whole parking scenario in the city would be changed. Parking on the streets of colony roads will be chargeable, and the rates will vary for day and night. Night parking charges would be cheaper as compared to the day. Also, the number of cars to be parked on the street will be decided by the MCD according to the locality. Moreover, if you own two cars you have to pay a higher parking fee.
When it comes to parking in commercial areas, street parking will only be allowed for visitors, and the business owners will have to park their vehicle in parking lots. According to the new policy, surface parking would now be costlier than multi-level parking and the parking charges in the commercial areas will be three times higher. Also, parking on footpaths would be a cognizable offense. The government is expected to collect around Rs 600 crore from parking fees if the policy is implemented. However, its implementation would also be a big challenge as at least eight agencies including municipal bodies, the Delhi Development Authority and the traffic police are involved.
Delhi is one of the most crowded cities in India. More than 17 million people travel back and forth every day in Delhi for their daily chores, and around 9.5 lakh private vehicles ply on the streets of Delhi. And if you have ever travelled to Delhi you must already know where most of these private vehicles are parked. You guessed it right – on the streets.