Kamla Nagar parking plan okayed, one road made pedestrian-only

The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) approved the Kamla Nagar Parking Management Plan prepared by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on Thursday

The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) approved the Kamla Nagar Parking Management Plan prepared by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on Thursday and said that it will be submitted to the Supreme Court for validation before October 4, the next date of hearing.

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The apex court is monitoring the implementation of the Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Places Rules, 2019. A bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Deepak Gupta is looking into this as part of a comprehensive clean air action plan for Delhi.

“We saw the final plan and it looked good. The Kamla Nagar market has too many cars and too little space. Further, it is difficult to access the car parking space below Spark Mall. We asked the north corporation to give us an implementation plan. If they are able to do it, it will become an example for the rest of Delhi markets,” EPCA member Sunita Narain said on Friday.

The SC had recently directed the EPCA and the municipal bodies to implement the rules as pilot projects in Lajpat Nagar (south Delhi), Kamla Nagar (north Delhi) and Krishna Nagar (east Delhi).

In Kamla Nagar, the basic plan involves making Kolhapur Road—one of the radial roads at Kamla Nagar—pedestrian only. The other three major radial roads from Bada Gol Chakkar—Maharaja Agrasen Marg, Mandelia Road and Gali No. 7—will remain two-way, said NDMC deputy commissioner Ira Singhal.

“The EPCA has asked us to use the tactile method of implementation at Kamla Nagar market first. This means making temporary arrangements with bollards and paint. Thereafter, the traffic management plan can be implemented permanently with road and pavement repairs, street furniture and lighting,” said Anuj Malhotra, knowledge partner with the Union ministry of home affairs, who is assisting the NDMC with the project.

Also, the EPCA has to submit last-mile connectivity plan between Metro stations and the three chosen neighbourhoods—Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar and Krishna Nagar—besides suggesting technological solutions for parking.

The parking policy, required to control winter pollution as a vehicle-restraint measure in the city, aims to discourage private vehicle use by taxing it and encourage public transportation among Delhiites. The national capital has about 11 million vehicles, of which about 33 lakh are four-wheelers and 73 lakh are two-wheelers.