South Delhi's Vasant Kunj swarmed by Ola, Uber in absence of DTC, Metro

Home to several malls and high-end retail outlets, South Delhi's Vasant Kunj area is facing an acute parking problem, with most of the roads, footpaths and service lanes virtually taken over by Ola and Uber cabs.

As a large number of cab drivers park their vehicles on the service lanes and the footpaths while waiting for duty, the residents and visitors to the malls and shopping complexes in the area are left with no choice but to walk through the busy roads, which is dangerous.

"The parking issue can not be seen limited to the residents. As most of the vehicles parked on the roadside block the way for other cars to pass, this results in delay and wastage of fuel that cause more pollution," said Bhavesh Singh, a resident of Vasant Kunj area.

However, the residents also highlight the fact that these cab services have been very essential as the frequency of DTC buses is low and the Metro services are not available at a walking distance. For the solution, the residents have been proposing a parking station for the taxis, which will help them wait for duties and won't disturb the commuters.

"It is necessary to have enough number of cabs in the area as DTC and Metro services are yet to made available to us at a convenient time and distance," said Vijyant Sinha, who works in a mall.

The situation in Vasant Kunj is so severe that even the police station in the area is not immune to illegal parking. A number of cars can be seen parked in the service lanes in front of the Vasant Kunj police station.

"How can we maintain the parking of vehicles when the residents have been owning several cars for no reason? They do not have adequate space to park them. Ultimately, it's the street that will be occupied by these vehicles," said a traffic police personnel deployed in the area.

The residents also complained that traffic police do not have any clue as to how to tackle the situation.