Latest News | MCD to Propose Doubling of Parking Charges Amid Rising Air Pollution
Get latest articles and stories on Latest News at LatestLY. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to double its parking charges in a bid to discourage the use of private vehicles and curb air pollution caused by vehicular emissions, officials said on Monday.
New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to double its parking charges in a bid to discourage the use of private vehicles and curb air pollution caused by vehicular emissions, officials said on Monday.
A proposal for this will be tabled at the upcoming MCD House meeting scheduled for November 14, the same day as the elections for Delhi's next mayor and deputy mayor.
The idea of raising parking charges under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-II has been on the agenda for a while, but has been repeatedly referred back to the House for reconsideration.
Initially, the MCD had proposed increasing the charges fourfold, but following deliberations, a revised proposal to raise the fees by just two times has now been prepared, officials said.
However, the official did not specify the reason for reducing the proposed hike.
"In the upcoming House meeting, we will seek approval for increasing the parking charges. After extensive deliberations, the MCD has revised its proposal to double parking charges instead of the initially planned fourfold increase. Once this proposal is passed, it will be implemented as soon as possible," the official said.
While other agencies, including the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), have already implemented the fee increase under CAQM's directions, the MCD has yet to enforce the hike.
In October, NDMC doubled its parking charges complying with directives to curb air pollution.
The MCD is waiting for the proposal's clearance from the House before it can be implemented. If disruptions occur during the House session, as is often the case during elections, the proposal may face further delays.
As part of the Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to tackle pollution, additional restrictions are imposed, such as bans on the use of coal and firewood in restaurants and the use of diesel generators, except for essential services.
Parking charges are also enhanced to encourage people to switch to public transport, which would help reduce overall pollution levels.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)