Ensure regulated parking in capital: NGT

In a step aimed at minimising the traffic chaos in the capital, the National Green Tribunal today directed all the municipal corporations in the city to ensure regulated parking on designated metalled roads in their areas.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar asked the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to coordinate with police authorities and implement systematic parking.
Single lane parking has been allowed in certain crowded markets in the capital where haphazard parking has led to chaos and rise in vehicular emissions.

"You have to ensure that there is not more than single lane parking on the roads. In all the colonies of Delhi, parking is there on both sides of the road. A person is lucky if he passes through the colony without a dent in his car. You need to bring uniform policy with respect to single lane parking.
"You cannot make it totally unviable for vehicles to move. Hold a meeting of all corporations with the police authorities and come out with a solution. Adopt a systematic policy," the bench said.
SDMC told the Tribunal that surface parking charges have been increased and residents who are parking their vehicles outside their house are being charged double the amount while the commercial establishments were being charged thrice the amount.

The green panel was hearing a case related to vehicular pollution in Delhi-NCR.

The Tribunal had earlier imposed a complete ban on parking of cars on metalled roads in the national capital and directed that any violation would lead to a fine of Rs 1,000.
It had later modified its order and allowed single lane parking in certain markets till multi-level parking facility was made available in those areas.
During the hearing, Dr Sanjay Kulshrestha, an agra-based pediatric surgeon, said that there were around 28 lakh cars in Delhi and there is a need to decongest the roads in order to reduce the vehicular pollution.

He said the public should be compelled by law to reduce the number of cars and government should also act in this direction.
Kulshrestha said large-size buses in the national capital should be replaced by smaller vehicles to reduce massive traffic jams.