Got a big car? Now, pay more to park it

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi plans to charge higher parking fees from owners of large cars. And you get rebates if your car runs on CNG, reports Neelam Pandey.

Here’s more reason to buy a smaller, greener car. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to charge higher parking fees from owners of large cars. And you get rebates if your car runs on CNG.

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In a few months, if the MCD has its way, two wheeler owners will have to pay Rs 500 a year as parking fee. Small car owners would shell out double this and those with SUVs would pay Rs 2500 a year. Plus, you get a rebate ranging from 10 to 15 per cent if you own a CNG vehicle.

The parking fee would also vary on the basis of the location of the lot, the fuel being used and peak hours. If the MCD Commissioner approves of the proposal, it will be tabled in the standing committee as early as next month.

Hand-held devices connected to a central server would issue tickets to curb overcharging. A bio-cryptic smart card will help you access parking lots. If another person in the family gets a card issued, the prices charged will be higher.

Doing away with the tradition of auctioning parking sites, the new plan will be run by a consortium. “We want to encourage the use of public transport. The proposal has come from the mayor and would be tabled before the MCD Commissioner next week,” said a senior MCD official. The scheme is not binding and those wishing to avail of the service would need to register with the MCD. The civic body earns Rs. 10 crore from parking and with this scheme it wants to increase the revenue 10-fold. There are 187 MCD parking lots in the city at present and the PWD has approved construction of another 50 sites for the new plan.