Why fancy vehicle showrooms allowed in residential areas: HC asks civic bodies

The Delhi High Court has asked municipal bodies why fancy car showrooms and other commercial establishments are allowed in residential areas even though they lead to insufficient parking space.

"Why do you permit fancy vehicle showrooms in residential areas," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked municipal bodies while hearing a plea moved by some traders associations of Karol Bagh claiming traffic congestion in the area due to excessive parking on the roads.

The associations have alleged that due to lack of action on the part of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to ensure the sites earmarked for parking are used for that purpose, vehicles were being parked on the colony roads occupying double and triple lanes.

The associations in their application, filed through advocate Sanjeev Ralli, claimed that one of the sites, a 10,000 square yard ground which can accommodate 3,000 cars, was being leased out by the corporation for holding events such as weddings.

Taking note of the allegation, the court told the corporation to ensure the site, near Ajmal Khan park here, be not used for any other purpose other than parking and listed the matter for further hearing on July 30.

The corporation was also directed to file an affidavit indicating its stand on the allegation made in the application that the Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgevar Parking Complex, measuring one acre, located at Old Rajendra Nagar here, was lying unused ever since its inauguration in February 2017.

Apart from that, the corporation was also asked to inform the bench as to why the proposed multi-level parking site at Shashtri Park here has not been built despite court orders in 2014 to construct it in one year.

"There is serious traffic congestion and crisis prevailing in Karol Bagh and therefore, an urgent need for public parking space," the application said.

The application was moved in a writ petition by a resident of the colony claiming that due to excessive parking on the roads in Karol Bagh, only a single lane was left for traffic movement.