Soon no cab permit without proof of parking space

Cabbies in Delhi would soon have to give proof of parking for getting their cars registered.

Cabbies in Delhi would soon have to give proof of parking for getting their cars registered.

At present, there are no designated parking places for cabs which have crossed the 1.5 lakh mark in Delhi-NCR. (Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

Alarmed by the sudden rise in the number of taxis plying in the city, the State Transport Authority (STA) has given in-principle approval for formulating a policy in which registration of commercial vehicles will be linked to parking space available with the owner.

The government data reveals that in just one year the number of cabs in Delhi has increased by a mammoth 52%. While the total number of taxis registered in the Capital as of February is 89,686, transport officials acknowledged that more cabs are plying on city roads. Besides, cabs running under app-based aggregators have spiked by nearly 20,000 over the last six months.

“A sizeable chunk of cabs are those registered in neighbouring states and there are others that are illegally operating with private registrations. The number has increased exponentially because of which such a rule is necessary,” an official said.

The rule will be a key feature in the upcoming ‘City Taxi Scheme, 2017’ as well as the ‘Parking Policy for Delhi’.

The proposal mentioned in the minutes of the last STA meeting held on May 29 said the owner of the vehicle must submit a copy of the agreement with an authorised parking contractor of MCD/NDMC/DDA among others for a minimum period of one year.

“The parking space in residential space or on streets shall not be allowed,” it read.

The proposal also states that if any taxi and other commercial vehicle are found parked on a street or even in a residential space, the permit can be suspended or cancelled.

“The matter will now be taken to local bodies such as the MCD’s, NDMC, DDA and also DMRC as they are responsible for providing parking space in Delhi. Some issues still need to be addressed in the rule though,” said Madan Lal, MLA from Kasturba Nagar, who is a member of the STA.

In its observation, the STA has asked local bodies to file a report on the capacity to provide parking space for commercial vehicles and whether sufficient space is available to accommodate them.

“They will intimate whether they can provide the parking space on subsidised rates. They should come out with reasonable parking charges for the vehicles. The MCDs should chalk out a plan so that parking space can be made available within every 5 to 10 sq km of Delhi. The other agencies should also make efforts to increase parking space in the areas under their jurisdiction,” the resolution read.

At present, there are no designated parking places for cabs which have crossed the 1.5 lakh mark in Delhi-NCR. The rapid surge in their number has made roads more chaotic as drivers often take a nap or wait for customers by parking cars on busy roads. This adds to the perennial problem of traffic congestion in the city.