Free run over: Paid parking at Central Vista from this weekend
The civic body is expected to hire a private concessionaire to manage the parking lots -- a process which is likely to take at least two months, according to Upadhyay. Till then, NDMC officials will manage the parking lots.
After two weeks of free parking at the refurbished Central Vista, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to start charging visitors using the parking lots of the avenue starting this weekend.
NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay said the parking lots at Kartavya Path, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8, were to be kept free for 15 days as per announcements made that day, and this weekend onwards, it will be operated as a paid service. “The charges will be same as at any other New Delhi area but people should preferably use public transportation to reach this stretch,” Upadhyay said.
The civic body is expected to hire a private concessionaire to manage the parking lots -- a process which is likely to take at least two months, according to Upadhyay. Till then, NDMC officials will manage the parking lots.
“Currently, 15 officials from the parking management department have been deployed by NDMC to manage Central Vista parking lots. We are also in the process of finalising the terms for appointing a private concessionaire to manage parking around the Central Vista. The process is in an advanced stage and tenders are likely to be floated in next week,” Upadhyay said.
There are nearly 125 parking sites (multilevel and surface) managed solely or jointly by the NDMC. Visitors pay a standard charge of ₹20 per hour for four wheelers, which can be charged up to maximum of ₹100, while for two wheelers, the rates are ₹10 per hour with a maximum of ₹50. The charges for buses are ₹80 an hour, with a maximum of ₹400.
At present, there are four designated parking sites on Kartavya Path, and the civic body has allowed parking for around 600 cars and 40 buses. For the convenience of visitors, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has created parking space for around 1,100 cars and 40 buses, which are connected with pedestrian underpasses so that visitors can easily access the lawns.
The parking sites developed by CPWD are located between Janpath and Rafi Marg, with space for around 500 cars; between C-Hexagon and Man Singh Road (200 cars); and Man Singh Road and Janpath (400 cars). Another parking space, between Man Singh Road and Janpath, is likely to take more time before it opens as construction agencies have taken over the area for ongoing work related to the Central Secretariat.
A senior NDMC official said that before the Central Vista revamp, there were only two official parking areas around the stretch -- near Shastri Bhavan at Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, and in front of Nirman Bhavan. There was also an unauthorized parking lot behind the canals, which was allowed to continue to avoid congestion and traffic jam on main arterial roads.
These parking areas were operating unofficially. “The space near the Vigyan Bhavan was used for excess parking for government events and even during the Parliament sessions. Similarly, media vans were allowed to park near the fountain on Rajpath based on a request from the ministry of information and broadcasting but it was not an official parking lot. Under the new system, the parking will be streamlined,” an NDMC official said.