Delhi: Stilt parkings fail to free colony roads of congestion
The concept of stilt parking was introduced to clear colony streets of parked cars. But in the absence of implementation and enforcement by civic authorities, most stilt parkings are used as store rooms and godowns.
The concept of stilt parking was introduced to clear colony streets of parked cars. But in the absence of implementation and enforcement by civic authorities, most stilt parkings are used as store rooms and godowns.
The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had framed a rule that those constructing new houses should make arrangements for parking their vehicles inside the building premises.
However, the rule applied only to new and proposed constructions. Buildings that had already been constructed had no such provision. As a result, the proposal did little to remove congestion on colony roads.
Since builder flats are coming up in most colonies, the number of households and vehicles has gone up.
But, there is no corresponding growth in the parking area. This means most cars are parked on the colony roads, making movement difficult for pedestrians.
Another reason behind the failure of stilt parking is the lax enforcement by the civic authorities. Many people use the stilt parking space as a store as they can park their cars on roads for free.
“Usually, stilt parkings can accommodate four or five vehicles. But nowadays every member in the family wants to own a separate vehicle. Hence, the space falls short. Those who don’t have space to park their vehicles inside should be made to pay a fine. This will discourage them from buying new vehicles,” said a senior civic agency official.