Notice to NDMC over parking charges

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 4.

The Delhi High Court today issued notices to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Police Commissioner on a public interest litigation alleging overcharging by contractors of parking lots.

A Division Bench comprising Mr. Justice Arun Kumar and Mr. Justice A.K. Sikri asked the four respondents to file their reply by December 19.

The petition by Ms. Usha Kumar, an advocate of the Delhi High Court, alleged that parking attendants across the city charged fees over and above the fixed rates.

She alleged that this was happening due to practice of sub- contracting among contractors of the parking lots. They took them on contract by paying a lumpsum to the NDMC, MCD or DDA and then a majority of them sub-let these parking lots to sub-contractors who fleeced vehicle owners to ensure their profits.

For example, car owners were charged Rs. 10 to Rs. 15 for a seven-hour of parking while the official rate is Rs. 5. Parking tickets were printed in such a way that the portions to be given to vehicle owners had Rs. 10 and Rs. 6 printed on them for parking a car and a two-wheeler for seven and three hours respectively,while the counterfoils had the fixed rates of Rs. 5 and Rs.

Giving out an eyewitness account of an overcharging incident to the court, the petitioner said she saw the parking attendants of a parking lot of NDMC on Pandara Road quarreling with vehicle owners when they protested to alleged fleecing by them.

She said that the parking lots run by MCD and DDA were also grossly mismanaged and cases of overcharging and misbehaviour by the attendants were common.

Citing another example, she said attendants at the parking lots near Nehru Place were found be rude with vehicle owners.

The petitioner urged the court to direct the respondents to take action against unscrupulous contractors and establishments using roads as part of their premises and ban parking on roads.

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