Palika: Delhi’s ideal parking lot

Parking lots in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida are bursting at their seams. Neelam Pandey reports.

Parking lots in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida are bursting at their seams. To make more money, contractors cram in more vehicles than the lot’s capacity. And there’s no guaranteeing whether you’ll find your vehicle in the condition you left it in.

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The need of the day is a more organised parking lot along the lines of Palika Parking in Connaught Place. Here, the motorist entering the lot knows whether it has any vacant slot or not through a signboard which is updated very minute. He is also issued a computerised slip which has details like the vehicle number, entry and exit time, parking charges and the name of the issuing authority.

NDMC, which runs the parking lot, has also introduced a new state-of-the-art electronic parking guidance and management system wherein the vehicle would be guided to the closest vacant space in the lot, eliminating the need of an attendant.

“Vehicle users are guided through a wide range of modern gadgets including sensors, lights and directional displays to the nearest empty space. It also helps owners to identify their car location at the time of exit,” said a senior NDMC official.

To prevent theft or to ensure no damage is caused to vehicles, NDMC has installed cameras. “They take a picture of number plates of every car parked here. It helps in preventing car thefts,” said a NDMC senior official. Palika parking has three levels and can accommodate 1,050 cars and 500 scooters.