Delhi’s underused parking facilities despite MCD’s expansion plans

MCD Plans Expansion of Parking Facilities Amid Underuse Issues

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to expand multi-level parking facilities across the city. However, a recent visit indicates that many existing parking structures are underused. Illegal roadside parking continues to congest roads and markets.

Budget Plans for 2026-27

MCD Commissioner Ashwini Kumar presented the estimated budget for 2026-27 in the first week of December 2025. He stated that the civic body plans to open 20 more parking facilities in the coming year. All these facilities will be self-multi-level parking systems, which can hold more vehicles in limited space and are deemed more efficient.

Current Parking Facility Usage

Spot checks by The Hindu at various multi-level parking sites revealed that many facilities, with capacities over 500 cars, were largely empty. In contrast, roads around markets and commercial areas were crowded with vehicles parked in no-parking zones.

Reasons for Avoiding Automated Parking

Parking operators and car users provided several reasons for avoiding automated parking. These include the time needed for parking and retrieval, the distance to destinations, and the availability of cheaper or free roadside parking.

Suggestions from MCD Officials

During budget discussions, MCD’s Works Committee chairperson, Preeti, suggested converting all vacant land under the civic body’s jurisdiction into parking lots. She believes this would help remove encroachments, increase revenue, and address the growing gap between parking demand and the rising number of vehicles in Delhi.

Recent Parking Projects

In September 2025, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated two delayed puzzle parking projects. One is a multi-level facility in Punjabi Bagh with a capacity of 225 vehicles, built at a cost of ₹31 crore. The other is an eight-level automated parking facility in Greater Kailash-I that can hold 399 cars. Construction has also begun on a self-automated parking facility for 188 cars at Bharat Darshan Park at a cost of ₹30 crore. Officials stated that vehicles can be retrieved in about 150 seconds using the automated system.

Mixed Responses to New Facilities

The response to these new facilities has been mixed. At the newly opened GK-I parking, only a few cars were parked, while M Block market remained crowded with vehicles parked outside shops. Surface parking is allowed near storefronts, affecting pedestrian movement, while auto-rickshaws and other para-transit vehicles cannot enter the market.

Visitor Preferences

“People prefer parking right at the doorstep,” said Arpit Singh, a regular visitor to the market. “The automated parking is there, but it feels inconvenient when free parking is easily available outside.”

Challenges at Sarojini Nagar Facility

At the Sarojini Nagar multi-level parking facility, built by the New Delhi Municipal Council in 2011 at a cost of ₹80 crore, traders reported that long waiting times discourage users. The facility has a capacity for 824 vehicles but is seldom full.

Car Owner Feedback

Car owner Ankit Verma noted that parking and retrieval could take up to 25 minutes during busy hours. “It’s faster to park on the road, even if it’s illegal. The approach road to the parking doesn’t have enough space to handle traffic if everyone uses it,” he said.

Better Usage Near Office Areas

In contrast, parking facilities near office areas reported better usage. Operators at the automated parking facility opposite the Green Park regional office in Hauz Khas said the facility, with a capacity of over 130 cars, is usually full. “Most users are monthly pass holders who work nearby,” said a parking attendant, adding that market visitors still prefer roadside parking.

Underutilized Facilities

One of the city’s oldest facilities, the underground parking at Asaf Ali Road near Lok Nayak Hospital, which can accommodate 1,800 vehicles, was also found to be largely unoccupied.

Revenue from Parking Facilities

MCD data shows that revenue from surface and multi-level parking rose from ₹49.14 crore between April and September 2024 to ₹58.09 crore in the same period of 2025. Currently, the civic body operates 430 parking lots across Delhi, including 14 multi-level facilities. Parking rates are ₹20 per hour for cars and ₹10 per hour for two-wheelers, capped at ₹100 and ₹50 per day, respectively.

Need for Improved Parking Management

MCD officials stated that unless illegal surface parking is strictly controlled and market access is redesigned, automated parking alone may not resolve Delhi’s parking crisis.