Big leap in parking charge ploy to up revenue generation: Delhiites

Buying a new car in the national capital is set to become costlier.

With the Delhi Transport Department approving a hike in parking charges as recommended by the three municipal corporations of in the city, car prices are also expected to rise. The amount will be collected at the time of buying cars along with registration fee and road tax. The move which will hike the mandatory one-time parking fee by as much as 18 times, has left many residents miffed, with most of them claiming the purpose for which it is collected, is hardly met. The amount will be collected by the transport department on behalf of the civic bodies which claims that it will be used to develop parking infrastructure in the city.

According to the order issued by outgoing Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi on Friday, her last day in the office, the new charges will now range between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 75,000.

The orders issued Joshi said the new parking charges will be applicable from January 1, 2019.

"The proposal by the three MCDs to increase the charges was pending with the department for quite some time and was cleared by the transport commissioner on her last day in office, an official said.

Joshi maintained that the process of charging the money during vehicle registration is prescribed through notification of Union Urban Affairs Ministry, not by the transport department.

The hike will boost the finances of the civic bodies, that grapple with empty coffers most of the time. The MCDs and the Delhi government have sparred routinely over the matter, with the former accusing the latter of not releasing money and hence affecting development work.

She also informed that the parking charges mechanism will be replaced by spot parking fees after new parking regulations are notified by the government.

However, private car owners, bus and taxi operators are irked with the development as the annual parking fee for different categories of private and commercial vehicles will rise sharply from the existing Rs 2,500-Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000-Rs 25,000.

"There is no parking space in the entire city and now we have to shell extra money for something that doesn't exist. We have already been paying so many taxes to buy a car. This increase in fee is completely unjustified because the purpose for which it is being charged has never been fulfilled. We still park on the roads," said Harjeet Singh, a resident of Kirti Nagar.

Bus and taxi operators threatened to protest the move if the charges are not rolled back.

Displeased by the government order, transporters in the city have threatened to stage a protest against the hike. "We will meet the chief minister and the transport minister on Monday against the hike because it will impact us negatively. If need be, we will resort to a strike also," said Shyam Lal Gola, spokesperson of State Transport Authority Operators Ekta Manch. It's a very bad move that will pose hardships for all, including the commuters, president of Delhi Tourist Taxi Transport Association Sanjay Samrat said. "We will protest against the Delhi government," he said.

(With Agency inputs)

VOICES

Instead of maintaining and building parking lots, the municipal corporation has found another way to increase its revenue generation by increasing parking charges. The parking lots are in dire need of maintenance and are underutilised. It is nothing but a burden on a common man's hard earned money. 
—Tushar Sharma, cafe owner

I already have space reserved for car parking in my apartment, then why should I pay more for the parking. Moreover, it might, in a way legitimise roadside parking in contrary to what a proper parking policy for the city should achieve through area-level planning and by incentivising public transport. 
—Deepanshu Kukreja, businessman

MCD claims that the hike is meant to create parking infrastructure in the city. We all know how earlier plans have gone haywire with no progress. The need for the hour is proper planning, not a hike in parking charge 
—Fareen Siddiqui, HR Manager

The government has burdened the common man in the city with heavy taxation — be it house tax or road tax. The revised parking charge will now increase the burden. Its an agenda of municipal corporations to fish money out of our pockets of people regardless of any sign of development. I am completely against this new step. 
—Rishangi Aggarwal, student

If one goes through MCD's previous records, one will realise that the body has not done much when it comes to the ground report. However, every year it finds a way to procure money in the name of funds. This new rule is just another ploy to get money. So in my opinion, it should be scrapped. 
—Vasu Aggarwal, student

It is completely unlawful of the MCD to double the charges. We are certainly not happy with this decision and as I got to know that there will be a hike in the mandatory one-time parking fee by as much as 18 times. 
—Aditi Chopra, lawyer

EXPERT SPEAKS

This hike will help us initiate more projects and will increase the pace of development. It will also make people aware of parking and traffic rules. We have also planned to improve parking infrastructure in the city. Apart from removing encroachments on the roads, new parking lots will be built and old ones will be renovated. The hike of parking charges is based on the type of vehicle. The hike is for the welfare of people, thus, they should co-operate with the municipal corporation. 
—Dr B M Mishra, Addl Commisioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation