News: Doubling parking rates for smog control has fallen short in Delhi before, past record shows-01-10-2026
Doubling parking rates is among the winter pollution measures announced by the Delhi government this week, but past experience suggests it has had little effect in areas run by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which manages over 96% of the city’s area, has not implemented it consistently.
Higher rates in MCD areas need approval from the elected council, which has repeatedly blocked the proposal. The last such increase was in November 2017, when charges were quadrupled under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). It was rolled back after causing chaos, as drivers avoided authorised lots and parked illegally on roads.
In its order reversing the decision, the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation recorded that traffic jams were reported in many areas while a considerable part of authorised parking stayed vacant. A senior municipal official said councillors never cleared such a proposal again, as the corporation cannot raise fees directly because of contractual obligations to private parking contractors.
Surface parking currently costs Rs 20 an hour for four-wheelers, capped at Rs 100 a day, and Rs 10 an hour for two-wheelers. At multilevel sites, cars pay Rs 10 for up to four hours and two-wheelers Rs 5. These rates are expected to double when Delhi reaches GRAP-2 levels in winter.
NDMC, which has no elected wing, applies winter hikes, but spot checks by HT over the years show little effect on congestion. An NDMC official acknowledged only a minimal dip in occupancy.
Dr S Velmurugan, former chief scientist at the Central Road Research Institute, said Delhi needs stronger enforcement against illegal parking and a uniform policy. He added that the measure, a form of congestion pricing, will not work without structural changes.
