'Petty to argue for Rs 10, don’t mind paying more if we get space’

At the Greater Kailash N-Block Market, an upmarket corner of the city with high-end stores, you can park your vehicle anytime during the day. The charges,however, vary from `10 to as high as `100.

The corporation-approved parking tariff is Rs 10 but in different corners of south Delhi, people have to pay between Rs 50 and Rs 100 to park their vehicles.

At the Greater Kailash N-Block Market, an upmarket corner of the city with high-end stores and eateries, you can park your vehicle anytime during the day. The charges,however, vary from Rs 10 to as high as Rs 100.

But many people don’t mind paying an exorbitant price. Ravinder Singh, a resident of East of Kailash, said most visitors have to pay up Rs 100 at times. “It is not about the money, it is about getting a spot to park your car. In rush hours and weekends, we pay Rs 100 and they make sure our car gets parked,” Singh said.

An attendant at the lot, who did not wish to be named, told Hindustan Times that though Rs 100 is not the official parking rate, many people pay up in weekends. “We tell them there is no more space. They give us Rs 100 and we make space. It is all about demand and supply,” he said.

And it is the same picture across majority of the lots in south Delhi.

“In big markets like Greater Kailash and Defence Colony, I have been paying Rs 20. It was mostly Rs 10 even a year or so back but somewhere down the line most people have started charging Rs 20. When asked, they would say the charges have increased. I did not suspect anything and never cared to check. At some parking lots, I still pay Rs 10. At most parking lots, there are no boards to specify parking rates. It seems petty to argue for Rs 10,” Shobha Singh, a 27-year-old IT professional, who lives in East of Kailash, said. Moreover, many don’t want to face any unnecessary hassles.

“Even when we know we are being overcharged, to whom should wecomplain? Should we approach the police to fight for Rs 10? I am quite clueless about what to do in this situation,” Rakesh Gupta, a Gautam Nagar resident, said.