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  Metros   Delhi  18 Jun 2017  New draft parking policy a long-awaited step

New draft parking policy a long-awaited step

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Jun 18, 2017, 4:35 am IST
Updated : Jun 18, 2017, 4:35 am IST

Implementation seems uphill task as MCDs lack intent, feel Delhiites.

According to the draft prepared by the Delhi government, parking on the streets of colony roads will be chargeable, and the rates will vary for day and night.
 According to the draft prepared by the Delhi government, parking on the streets of colony roads will be chargeable, and the rates will vary for day and night.

New Delhi: The new draft parking policy is being hailed as a step long awaited in the space-starved national capital, which has been grappling with parking woes.

According to the draft prepared by the Delhi government, parking on the streets of colony roads will be chargeable, and the rates will vary for day and night. A household may be allowed to park not more than two-three cars on a public street during night time after payment of parking charges. In case of more number of cars, higher parking charges may be levied for night parking. Also, parking on footpaths will be a cognisable offence.

Experts have said that this will stop the “de-facto” grabbing of public land by people in residential colonies.

“Over the years, people have been adding cars without any space available, leading to congestion of roads. Like the slums or unauthorised constructions are removed on account of encroachment, why can’t this be considered the same?” said Mr SP Singh, Senior Fellow, Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training.

He said that parking space created inside the house in the ground floor has been traditionally used for other purposes like servant quarters and this policy will be able to check illegal parking. However, the challenge lies in its implementation.

“Implementation is difficult. The Municipal Corporations (MCDs) don’t have the intent and honesty to implement these policies,” he said.

The new policy suggests giving enforcement powers of challaning to local bodies and the public works department (PWD) under the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It asks other agencies like Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to strictly enforce action against illegal parking in public streets. As per the police, the MCDs will have to create a dedicated enforcement cell to regulate parking in their areas.

“There will be multiple agencies involved, but the question is who will bell the cat. To make this successful, accountability will also have to be fixed on the enforcing agencies,” said Mr Singh.

Mr Samaresh Chandra Bhadra, the chief advisor of Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), Pocket-40 of C.R. Park, said that for better implementation, RWAs need to be involved and that some power should be given to them to enforce the policy.

“The parking problem is a menace. The MCDs have failed in implementing other policies like checking unauthorised construction activity, so we don’t know how far this will succeed. But anyway, they can’t check every street and colony. The power should also be shared with the RWAs,” he said.

Experts also suggested putting CCTV cameras to digitally capture illegal parking to make enforcement easy. However, some other RWAs see the policy as a harsh step towards residents and feel that it will not deter people from buying new cars.

Tags: delhi government, municipal corporations, cctv cameras, parking woes, indian foundation
Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi