Residents welcome parking fee move

NEW DELHI: South Delhi residents have welcomed the civic body’s decision to prevent malls and hospitals from charging parking fees. While some felt this was a political move in the run-up to the 2017 municipal elections, others said asking too much of freebies wasn’t good as malls were private spaces and one should pay for services.
They also raised questions like where to complain if mall authorities didn’t comply with the order.Some even wanted the South Corporation to first notify illegal parking sites before seeking public cooperation.
Some alleged that the parking mafia is hand-in-gloves with the authorities concerned. “What was the corporation doing so far? Even open spaces have men standing with tickets and asking for parking charges. There is no way to verify if these are genuine contractors or not as there are no notice boards. In a few places like Qutub Institutional Area and Gulmohar Enclave, there are instances of people paying parking fees and later realising that the tickets were fake,” Dilip K Mitra, a resident, said.
Sudhir Mehta, an official from the building department in the Civic Centre, said based on the size of the plot there are designated car spaces that malls and hospitals are supposed to provide according to the master plan. “This is not followed,” he said.
Vivian Fernandes, a resident of Indraprastha Extension said, “I feel parking rates must be regulated as the malls charge exorbitant rates. A revenue share arrangement with the municipal corporations is desirable. But it should not be an excuse to squeeze customers more. The rates must be reasonable. Perhaps, an agency like DIMMTS can collect the fees.”
Fernandes filed an RTI application in 2010 enquiring about Max Balaji Hospital in his area. “I found out that the hospital was supposed to provide parking for 588 cars according to building plan. But it converted some basement area into medical facilities as it expanded from a 150-bed to a 400-bed hospital,” he said.