Rs 600 for 7-hr parking: HC expresses concern

A Shatabdi Express takes two-and-a-half hours to reach Hridwar from Delhi. So, it took 65-year-old lawyer Sugriva Dubey only seven hours to return to Delhi after taking a quick dip in the Ganga.

A Shatabdi Express takes two-and-a-half hours to reach Hridwar from Delhi.

HT Image

So, it took 65-year-old lawyer Sugriva Dubey only seven hours to return to Delhi after taking a quick dip in the Ganga.

He had parked his car at the New Delhi railway station’s VIP parking lot for the duration.

But, the peace of mind he’d probably acquired in the holy city was lost on his return, when the attendants at the parking lot charged him Rs 700 for parking his car for seven hours.

Not ready to take it lying down, he moved the Delhi High Court challenging the parking rate policy.

Dubey brought to the court’s attention the harassment of the public by the parking mafia and termed varying rates at various parking sites “illegal”.

He contended that the MCD had given an assurance to the court in 2008 that parking rate at any site will remain Rs 10 for any duration.

Finding substance in the argument, the court has asked MCD, NDMC and DDA to submit their existing parking policy within four weeks.”

Justice Kailash Gambhir said: “With the ever-growing population of vehicles, not only do the citizens find it difficult to park their vehicles but they are made to shell out unreasonable amounts for parking their vehicles for long duration.”

The civic bodies are also to submit the existing parking rates in various parking sites controlled by them
“Parking, no doubt, is a perennial problem... and presently there exists no visible system to know if a particular parking site is authorised or unauthorised,” Justice Gambhir said.

Dubey also termed “illegal” MCD’s auctioning of footpaths for parking purposes saying the MCD Act specifically prohibited such a move.

The court’s order comes at a time when the MCD has decided to do away with private contractors to manage parking lots and get the job done itself.

They also decided that parking rates will no longer be uniform across the city but will vary depending on the demand for space.