Grap: Parking fee hike yet to be implemented in Delhi

Authorities in the Capital are yet to increase parking fees, a key element of Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan that came into force on Saturday. A senior official of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi associated with parking management said that the civic body would need approval from the House of councillors to hike the parking fee. Parking fee hikes are a fraught issue in the national capital, and rates have been unchanged in the city since November 2017, when MCD put in place a four-times increase under Grap. While issuing the rate-hike withdrawal order in 2017, the erstwhile South MCD said that as a result of the rate-hike, “chaotic traffic conditions had occurred and traffic jams were reported from many areas, though a considerable portion of the authorised parking areas remained vacant.” In an order setting in motion Stage 2 of Grap, the Commission for Air Quality Management on October 21 said that “to prevent further deterioration of the air quality, the subcommittee has decided that all actions as envisaged under Stage II of the Grap be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in the NCR, with immediate effect” which includes “enhance parking fees to discourage private transport.” However, the federal anti-air pollution agency did not detail the quantum of the parking fee hike in its order. “For instance, if someone is moving from Dwarka to CP, the parking fee should be much higher in Connaught Place so that people can be encouraged to adopt public transport,” said Amit Bhatt, International Council on Clean Transportation managing director, said, the parking fee hike can only be effective if it is.