Parking meters at Lajpat market

Delhi government has finally given its go ahead to launch a pilot project to set up automated parking lots with the facility of parking meters.

Delhi government has finally given its go ahead to launch a pilot project to set up automated parking lots with the facility of parking meters.

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The project would be launched from Central Market in Lajpat Nagar and would be replicated later in other commercial hubs where parking has turned into a major problem.

According to officials, an automobile association has

been asked to execute the pilot project. Charges would be decided later.

Senior Delhi government officials said the Cabinet had given its in-principle approval to the project in a meeting in November.

The project is a part of measures suggested by a High-Court appointed special task force to decongest Delhi.

"We have already initiated the ground work. Parking meters will help doing away with basic problems such as parking more vehicles than authorised limit, rude and unreliable parking attendants and overcharging," said TK Malhotra, president, Automobile Association of Upper India, the agency executing the project.

"It is quite popular in various other countries."

Senior government officials said Central Market is one of the busiest commercial hubs in the Capital and faces severe parking problem.

"Parking meters will allow only specific number of cars inside the parking lot. Parking meters are installed for a time-based parking fee and the motorists would pay parking charges on the basis of time for which they parked the vehicle," a senior Delhi government official said.

Parking meters, however, will also make parking slightly expensive so that people are encouraged to use public transport, the official added.