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On-street parking prices to see a jump in south Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi
All major markets in south Delhi may soon increase their parking charges if visitors choose to park closer to markets or on busy roads near the markets.
The Delhi parking policy, which was notified last week by the government, allows municipal corporations to hike charges for road side parking to discourage on-street parking and decongest public spaces.
The increased parking charges are already being levied at Connaught Place, Bengali Market and Karol Bagh.
A senior official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said that in order to ease congestion, the parking policy allows municipal corporations to hike charges of on-street parking and implement dynamic pricing mechanism, such as peak and off-peak parking fee and exponential increase for per hour of use.
“As recommended in the parking policy, we are mulling to increase charges for on-street parking in some of the prominent congested markets of south Delhi. This move will not only moderate the parking demand but also reduce congestion in the market place,” the official said.
The official hinted that markets where the new policy will be implemented may include South Extension, Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, among others.
The increased parking fee is already underway in pockets of Connaught Place, Bengali Market and Karol Bagh. According to New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) officials, the on-street parking rates have been hiked more than twice — when compared to off-street parking — in areas near Connaught Place and Mandi House.
“Instead of Rs 20 per hour, now the visitors have to pay Rs 50 per hour for parking in the middle circle of the Connaught Place, on Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Janpath Road, near Allahabad Bank. This is done to reduce parking on busy roads near the market,” a senior NDMC official said.
The official added that in such arrangements parking charges can vary location-wise on a single stretch. For instance, one has to pay more to park the vehicle near the roundabout of Bengali Market, while it is less if you park the car near Triveni auditorium.
Likewise in Karol Bagh, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in May this year had doubled charges of on-street parking on Arya Samaj Road were visitors now have to pay Rs 40 per hour instead of Rs 20 for the first hour. The rates for parking of up to five hours have been increased from Rs 50 to Rs 70, and for more than five hours have been hiked to Rs 300. The municipality had announced a similar measure for Kamla Nagar market.
The SDMC official, however, said that the revised rates of on-street parking were yet to be decided but he added that it was expected to be at par with Karol Bagh and Kamla Nagar parking charges.
Knowledge partner to the Union ministry of home affairs, Anuj Malhotra, who is assisting the SDMC in the development of Lajpat Nagar market, said that making on-street parking dearer would help reducing congestion near major markets in south Delhi. He said that the aim was to promote off-street parking.
“On-street parking is only for the visitors who come to the market for a short duration — of 30-60 minutes — and do not hesitate in paying extra. There are several upscale markets in south Delhi, such as South Extension and Greater Kailash, where people will not mind paying even Rs 100 for a short duration. This move will prompt long duration visitors to park their cars in off-street parking lots,” he said.
