Parking headache over for north Delhi residents

Corporation plans auctions for 70 sites by month-end

 North Delhi residents will soon have some respite from being fleeced by parking attendants as the North Delhi Municipal Corporation is all set to renew or sign new contracts for over 70 parking lots by this month-end.

The new parking policy makes its mandatory for contractors to issue parking slips with handheld devices, apart from installing CCTV cameras for better monitoring of parking lots.

According to officials, all parking sites under the new regime are likely to become operational by February.

“A notice inviting tender for all the parking lots were issued in the first week of January. Several parties have applied for the auction,” said a senior North Corporation officer. “The bid documents will be opened on January 29, and scrutinising them will take a few days. All the parking lots are likely to be alloted to contractors by next month,” said the officer.

Apart from streamlining the functioning of parking lots, the renewal by auction will also generate revenue for the corporation, said the official.

“North Corporation owns 115 surface parking lots. The licences of several parking lots expired in 2010 and 2011, and renewal of contracts was delayed due to MCD’s trifurcation and framing of the new parking policy,” said an official.

Will raise revenue

“The auction is expected to raise a revenue of at least Rs 15 crore,” said the official, adding that the clauses of the new parking policy will be implemented strictly.

Apart from better-managed parking lots, residents will have more options for parking in their area as 35 of the 74 sites up on auction are new ones. The new sites are coming up in some busy markets as well.

Some important new parking sites include surface parking at East and West Patel Nagar market, Bank Street in Karol Bagh, Milan Cinema, Jama Masjid gate No. 1, opposite Delhi Stock Exchange, registrar’s office in Pitampura, BQ Market in Shalimar Bagh, Rohini zonal office, transport authority on Under Hill Road, Tirath Ram Hospital and Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital.

The new parking lots will create space for over 10,000 vehicles across the city, said officials.