In its bid to being some respite to the Delhiites visiting busy market areas like Connaught Place and Khan Market and save them from the parking blues, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to launch a mobile app. The specially designed application will allow people to book their parking spaces in advance. The NDMC has roped in Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transport System (DIMTS) for this purpose, which is working out the final details of the project and it is expected to be completed in 10-15 days, an NDMC official said. The facility is expected to be launched in one-two months.
The facility will be available in the 94 parking lots which the civic agency has handed over to DIMTS. “We are currently doing data testing in 18 parking lots which have automated boom-barriers and the facility will be available in these lots in the first phase after NDMC gives us a go-ahead which is expected to happen after Diwali,” a DIMTS official said.
“In the next phase, online facility will be provided at the lots managed by handheld terminals,” the official said. The visitors will be able to book a slot in advance and payment would be ensured through debit or credit card for the number of hours it is booked. This will help the visitors as they will be saved from searching for a parking space in the busy Connaught Place and Khan Market, the official further added.
When asked how the agency will deal with the situation if a visitor exceeds the time for which he has booked the slot, thus affecting the next booking, the DIMTS official said, “We will not reserve all the slots for online booking. For example there are 200 slots; we can reserve 20 per cent for booking through mobile application.”
“This will solve the problem of a visitor exceeding his time limit and will also be hassle-free for the parking attendants,” he said. Another such effort to ease the rush at parking lots is putting up Variable Message Signs (VMS) in crowded areas.