Soon, You Can Use Delhi Metro Smart Cards to Pay for Parking

The Delhi Metro smart cards could soon serve an additional purpose as authorities are mulling authorizing their use for paying parking fee.

The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), tasked with the implementation of a pilot project to decongest roads in Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar and Krishna Nagar areas of Delhi, discussed the move during a meeting on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court-appointed body plans to experiment linking the Metro smart card with parking lots in these areas, Hindustan Times (HT) reported.

“Linking the Metro card with parking systems could ensure a healthy culture where the same card could be used for movement around the city. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) could study the suggestion further and get back to us on the same,” Sunita Narain, member, EPCA, said.

EPCA has suggested hiking surface parking rates and pedestrianising markets in a plan prepared for a pilot project to decongest roads in these areas.

The Supreme Court has sought a report by September 30 from EPCA, civic bodies and the Delhi government on the viability and effectiveness of introducing radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, parking guidance and information systems and last-mile connectivity from parking spaces to commercial areas and institutions.

The apex court has also directed that the draft rules of the Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Places Rules, 2019, be notified not later than September 30.

“The parking plans could be started immediately. A detailed report on how the parking management plans are working in the three areas would have to be submitted to the SC by December 30,” EPCA chairman Bhure Lal Narain said.

A senior South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) official said the area parking management plan for Lajpat Nagar –3 is ready, while officials from east corporation said they could start implementing the plan by October.

However, the north corporation representatives said an enforcement issue with the existing multilevel parking in Kamla Nagar has to be resolved first.