Parking under parks draws criticism

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) plan to create parking space under parks have come under the scanner with the diminishing green cover in the city, reports Neelam Pandey.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) plan to create parking space under parks have come under the scanner with the diminishing green cover in the city.

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The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has asked how the civic agency plans to restore the parks back to their original condition after constructing parking lots on them.

The Authority is monitoring the implementation of the parking policy in Delhi on the Supreme Court’s direction.

The civic body is constructing 24 such parking lots across the city.

Authority chairman Bhure Lal has written a letter to the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation and MCD on this issue.

Lal said there was an urgent need to reconsider/review and revise the provisions provided in Master Plan 2021 (MPD-2021) keeping in mind the massive numbers of vehicles on the roads and the growing problem of parking.

As per provisions of MPD-2021, the civic body has started creating parking space under parks.

The EPCA is opposed to this move.

“The city has a paucity of green areas, particularly open spaces for children to play, and the use of parks for underground parking can further reduce these critical spaces in our crowded residential areas,” said Sunita Narain, member of EPCA.

“As per another clause under the MPD 2021, recreational areas cannot be tampered or destroyed,” she said.

According to Narain, they are still awaiting a response from both the government bodies over this.

The EPCA has also asked a review of the parking rate.

Questions have also been raised over notification of roads for commercial and mixed land use even as parking provision has not been provided along these stretches as per provision of the master plan.