Buying a car in south Delhi is set to become more expensive, with the local civic body proposing to hike the one-time parking charges as part of its 2017-18 budget.
In the budget presented by Leader of the House Subhash Arya on Monday, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has proposed to increase the parking charges paid by those who buy a new four-wheeler.
This, however, is not the first time such a proposal has been introduced. Similar hikes were proposed in the past two budgets as well, said Mr. Arya.
“The proposal affects those who can afford to buy expensive cars and tries to minimise impact on others. We have been proposing this for the past two years, but the government has not approved it,” said Mr. Arya, adding that the Delhi government would have to forward the proposal to the Centre for a decision.
Approval not likely
At present, the one-time parking charges are ₹2,000 and ₹4,000 for non-commercial cars that cost up to ₹4 lakh and more than ₹4 lakh, respectively. Mr. Arya has proposed increasing the rates and creating more categories based on the price of cars. Starting from ₹5,000, the parking charges go up to ₹1.2 lakh for diesel cars that cost more than Rs.40 lakh. Charges for buses, tempos and trucks have also been increased.
Given that the municipal elections are expected in April, it’s unlikely that this proposal would be approved by the government. Nonetheless, the Opposition said it would not support the move.
“The Congress is opposed to any additional burden being put on citizens. The incompetent Central and Delhi governments have increased the burden, and now the municipal corporation is doing the same,” said Leader of Opposition Farhad Suri.
Apart from the parking charges, Mr. Arya’s budget speech focused on improving education and sanitation services.
Attack on Cong, AAP
With this being the last budget to be presented by the BJP before elections, Mr. Arya hit out against the erstwhile Congress government and the current AAP government.
“We tried to improve services in unauthorised colonies. But, the government did not let us repair or maintain roads and drains,” said Mr. Arya, adding that the SDMC had deployed sanitation workers in these colonies.
Boost for education
To improve the condition in its schools, Mr. Arya said the SDMC was committed to building permanent structures. At present, 84 per cent of the schools are in permanent buildings, while the rest function out of temporary structures. “We have seen a decline in enrolment in our schools. To boost the quality of education and attract more students, at least one smart classroom would be introduced in each ward. A separate amount of ₹1 crore has been allocated to assess the quality of education,” he said.
The SDMC would also give students plates and spoons for their midday meals, which they eat using utensils from home or pieces of paper. Mr. Arya also announced that students would get four laddoos each on Independence Day and Republic Day, as well as dessert and puris as part of midday meals.
Opposition not impressed
The Congress, however, dismissed these promises, saying that the BJP had failed to live up to earlier promises.
“The budget was full of half-truths and lies. The BJP has failed to deliver on promises made in the manifesto and in the budget speeches of the past years,” said Mr. Suri.
