Parking mafia at work in south Delhi flouting court order

By Sumit Saxena

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) Parking in commercial complexes, shopping malls and hospitals located in south Delhi is free, according to a Delhi High Court order issued in February 2018. However, commercial establishments there continue to fleece the visitors in the garb of authorised parking fee.

The standing counsel for South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), Monika Arora, had told the high court that as per the Municipal Corporation circular issued on February 5, 2016, and the public notices issued on December 2, 2015, "parking space in the commercial complexes/malls/hospitals has to be utilised free of any charge and cannot be put to commercial use by levying parking fees for the same."

Although the circular was issued by the SDMC to all the commercial establishments in south Delhi, these complexes continue to violate it blatantly, claiming that they are collecting authorised parking fees.

Speaking to IANS, Laviral Kalra, a resident of Malviya Nagar, said: "The Select Citywalk mall in Saket and the DLF malls in Saket and Vasant Kunj continue to charge parking fee. The parking attendants tell us that they have been authorised by the mall authorities to collect parking fees."

A staff at the Select Citywalk confirmed that the mall authorities charge Rs 20 per hour on all seven days.

"Parking is not at all free in the mall and we do not club parking charges with PVR cinema tickets. The mall authorities have no such arrangement with the cinema owners. Every visitor who parks his vehicle in the mall will have to pay parking fee" said the employee. His views were echoed by the employees at the DLF malls.

Interestingly, the commercial establishments in south Delhi have kept the parking fee in sync with the SDMC authorised parking charge, i.e., Rs 20 per hour.

The Delhi High Court in its February 19, 2018 order had directed the SDMC to take action against the violators of the parking rules.

"In view of the above, it would appear that the Municipal Corporation is conscious of its statutory duty and appears to have taken action against the violators of the law," the court had observed.

The court also ordered the SDMC to take action if any violation of the court's order was brought to its notice.

Nitin Nayyar, a resident of Paryavaran Complex in Saket, said: "I have collected the parking tickets issued by the various malls as physical evidence. But I do not know whom to approach to lodge a formal complaint."

Sanjey Puri, the petitioner who had moved the Delhi High Court, had sought action against SDMC officials for failing to take action against the commercial establishments, which willfully flouted the norms.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at
sumit.s@ians.in)