Delhi parking rates have doubled across New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) parking facilities from November 1 under the city’s GRAP II pollution-control measures, while parking charges in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) areas remain unchanged because a proposed increase is awaiting approval from the civic body’s house.
The revised NDMC charges apply to the council’s off-street, indoor, underground and on-street parking facilities. Four-wheeler parking at off-street lots, including those in Connaught Place, has increased from Rs 20 to Rs 40 per hour. Two-wheeler charges have risen from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per hour, while bus parking fees have increased from Rs 150 to Rs 200 per hour.
At indoor and underground facilities, two-wheeler parking now costs Rs 10 per hour, up from Rs 5, while four-wheeler parking has increased from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per hour. On-street charges at locations such as Bengali Market and Pandara Road Market have risen from Rs 50 to Rs 100 per hour, according to an NDMC official.
The measure is intended to discourage private vehicle use during a period of intensified air-pollution restrictions. Under the current arrangement, however, the policy is not uniform across Delhi. The MCD operates around 400 surface parking lots, where the existing rates continue to apply because the proposal to increase them has not received approval from the house or the civic body’s deliberative wing.
An MCD official said the preamble for the proposal was still pending approval. The civic body has previously considered larger increases, including a four-fold rise, but those proposals were rejected by the house. A previous proposal to double parking charges was also referred back, prompting officials to prepare a fresh proposal.
The delay reflects the administrative process behind parking-price decisions. Although officials have cited alignment with GRAP norms and Delhi’s wider pollution-control strategy, elected representatives have raised concerns about public inconvenience and the possibility of voter backlash. There is also concern that higher charges could push drivers towards unregulated or illegal street parking.
Implementation could create an additional contractual challenge in MCD areas because its parking lots are operated by multiple contractors under existing agreements. Any approved change would require revisions to their terms and conditions, according to the official. The official also said earlier calculations indicated that doubling parking charges would not affect overall revenue collection.
If approved, the revised MCD rates would take effect immediately and remain in force until air quality improves. For now, the different decisions mean that parking users face higher charges in NDMC areas, while comparable facilities under the MCD continue to operate at existing rates during the same GRAP II restrictions.
