The Delhi Transport Department has approved a recommendation proposed by all three municipal corporations for a hike of one-time parking charges in the national Capital. With the move, car buyers in Delhi will have to pay higher one-time parking charges in 2019.
According to the order issued by outgoing Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi on Friday, the charges will now range between Rs 6,000 and Rs 75,000 which will be applicable from January 1, 2019.
The Transport Department collects the parking charges on behalf of the municipal corporations, which is meant for creating parking infrastructure in the city. The proposal recommended by the three corporations regarding the same was pending for quite some time and was cleared by the transport commissioner on her last day in office, an official said.
According to the order, based on the cost of a vehicle, the one-time parking charge for private cars and SUVs will range between Rs 6,000 and Rs 75,000 — 18 times the existing rate of Rs 4,000.
With the order, bus and taxi operators would be hit hard as the annual parking fee for different categories of commercial vehicles will rise from the existing Rs 2,500-Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000-Rs 25,000.
The process of charging the money during vehicle registration is prescribed through a notification of Union Urban Affairs Ministry not by the transport department, Joshi who has taken charge as North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s commissioner told PTI.
The Transport Department only acts like the post office in the process, she said. The parking charges mechanism will be replaced by spot parking fees after new parking regulations are notified by the Delhi Government, she said.
“Till then this mechanism will be applicable. So we followed an Urban Affairs Ministry notification and issued these orders,” she added.
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, however, denied having any information about the hike.
The hike, which will boost finances of the civic bodies, may hit the transport department as it is likely that the sale of vehicles may shift to the neighbouring States because there will be a huge variation of rates in Delhi and other parts of the country, an official claimed.
It may be noted the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has approved the proposal to increase the “one-time parking charge” for both commercial and private vehicles on September 14.