6 months ago
2
Suruchi Kumari
NEW DELHI While Delhi’s worsening aerial prime leaves citizens gasping for breath, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is yet to summation the parking charges, a important anti-pollution measure, nether Stage-II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), adjacent 2 weeks aft the bid came into effect.
According to officials, the connection to hike parking charges, aimed astatine discouraging backstage conveyance use, is inactive awaiting support from the civic body’s House. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage-II of GRAP connected October 19 aft Delhi’s aerial prime slipped into the ‘very poor’ category. Among the 12 prescribed measures nether GRAP-II is an summation successful parking fees to bounds vehicular emissions.
Proposal to beryllium tabled
Studies, including 1 by IIT Kanpur, person shown that vehicles relationship for astir 20% of Delhi’s PM2.5 levels, a large contributor to the Capital’s toxic smog. “A connection to treble parking fees successful compliance with GRAP-II volition beryllium tabled successful the adjacent House gathering owed successful the coming weeks. We cannot rise the rates without the House’s consent. A akin connection past twelvemonth was referred and yet rejected,” said an MCD official.
Currently, the MCD operates 430 parking tons crossed the city, including 14 multilevel facilities. The prevailing rates are ₹20 per hr for four-wheelers and ₹10 per hr for two-wheelers, with a maximum regular headdress of ₹100 and ₹50 respectively. The civic assemblage has besides considered giving its commissioner the authorization to set fees erstwhile required, but the program has not materialised truthful far. “We person explored respective ways to summation the rates, including rationalising parking fees based connected determination and footfall, but nary person succeeded,” the authoritative added.
NDMC complaint revision
The past important revision occurred successful November 2017, erstwhile parking charges were quadrupled nether GRAP measures. In contrast, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) already implemented the interest hike. On October 29, it issued an bid doubling parking charges for each off-road and indoor facilities until GRAP-II restrictions are lifted. “In compliance with the supra and keeping successful presumption the prevailing climatic conditions, the parking interest has been enhanced to doubly the existing rates till revocation of Stage-II of GRAP,” the NDMC bid stated.
Under NDMC’s revised rates, four-wheelers are present charged ₹40 per hr and two-wheelers ₹20 per hour, portion autobus parking costs person risen from ₹150 to ₹300 per hour. An MCD authoritative cited hurdles, noting that astir of its parking tons are managed by backstage contractors. “If the connection is approved, we volition request to update contracts with concessionaires, which could hold implementation,” the authoritative explained..
