NEW DELHI: In a move to curb air pollution by dissuading people from using their private vehicles, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to table a revised proposal on Thursday to double parking fees as called for under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
The proposal follows a previous suggestion of a fourfold increase, which was rejected.
An MCD official confirmed that the updated plan would raise parking fees twofold across the 400 surface parking sites managed by the civic body.
Current rates are Rs 20 per hour for four-wheelers and Rs 10 for two-wheelers. If approved, the revised rates will automatically come into effect with GRAP Stage II directives from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and return to normal once restrictions are lifted.
Earlier attempts by the MCD to authorize its commissioner to independently adjust parking fees have been unsuccessful, with such proposals rejected multiple times by the House.
“Even before GRAP norms were enforced, the MCD proposed granting the commissioner authority to increase parking fees by up to four times under GRAP II. A separate proposal to rationalize fees based on location and footfall was also tabled but put on hold,” an official explained. The New Delhi Municipal Council, however, has successfully implemented parking fee hikes during GRAP restrictions.
In October, the NDMC doubled parking rates at its facilities, including Connaught Place and Palika Bazaar, but exempted monthly passes and on-street parking in high-footfall areas. The move by MCD is inspired by a 2017 precedent set by the DPCC, which allowed a fourfold hike in parking charges under similar circumstances. “CAQM hasn’t fixed the quantum of enhancement, but the 2017 L-G directive can guide us,” the meeting agenda noted.