Prepare To Shell Out Extra To Park Your Vehicle In New Delhi

In a decisive move to combat rising pollution levels before Diwali, Delhi authorities are moving forward with plans to substantially increase parking fees across the city. This initiative follows the recent implementation of doubled rates in the Lutyens' zone by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).

The proposed citywide increase would see car owners paying ₹40 per hour instead of the current ₹20, while daily rates could rise to ₹200. Two-wheeler parking fees would similarly double from ₹10 to ₹20 hourly. At multilevel facilities, where cars currently pay ₹10 and two-wheelers ₹5 for the initial four hours, rates would see a corresponding increase, too.

The corporation, which oversees roughly 96 per cent of public parking spaces in the capital, implemented these changes in Lutyens' Delhi starting October 22. The measure forms part of the Stage II Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a comprehensive strategy to tackle the capital's notorious air quality issues. This parking fee revision awaits final approval from the state assembly before citywide implementation.

The initiative joins other anti-pollution measures already in effect, including restrictions on coal and firewood usage and limitations on diesel generator operations to emergency and essential services only. These collective efforts aim to address Delhi's deteriorating air quality as the festival season approaches.