Finally, multi-level parking opens at Karol Bagh today

September 5, 2013

Ritam Halder , Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI: After a three-year delay, a three-level automated stack parking lot will open in the busy Karol Bagh on Thursday.The facility involves a mechanical lift that stacks vehicle at different levels.

The parking lot, located on Sat Bhirawan Road in Karol Bagh, was to be completed before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. But it missed several deadlines since 2009, when the plan was conceptualised.

The facility is expected to de-congest Karol Bagh — a prominent market area in the Capital — that faces a severe parking problem.

Local councillor Rajesh Bhatia said the new parking lot would help tackle the problem of congestion in Karol Bagh. “This project was being delayed for the past four years because of apathy on the part of civic body officials,” Bhatia said.

The parking rates at the new lot will be R10 for two hours and R10 for every subsequent two hours. The maximum charge for a whole day is R50 per day. The rates are a little higher than other surface parking lots run by the civic bodies. Vehicles at other municipal surface parking lots can be parked for R10 for 10 hours and R20 for 24 hours.

Experts reacted with caution when asked about the efficacy of the new system to address parking woes in the Capital.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy of the Centre for Science and Environment, said a lot of factors needed to be considered before taking up any innovation. “There are several technologies available. The site and its approach play an important role in the usefulness of a parking innovation. The issue of lack of space is taken care of with this technology but it’s expensive,” Roychowdhury said.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has around 120 parking sites under its jurisdiction, of which 62 were tendered a few months back. A survey has been done for 100 other sites, of which 25 have been sent for traffic clearance. It also has four multi-level parking sites.

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