Malls and hospitals in South Delhi will be asked to stop charging for parking or take a licence from the municipal corporation, which has decided to send notices to the businesses.
The Standing Committee of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday passed a resolution to send notices to all malls and hospitals in its jurisdiction ordering them to stop charging customers for parking.
As per the provisions of the sanction plans cleared by the corporation, the parking space is a public or common area, said Standing Committee chairperson Radhey Shyam Sharma.
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“If the malls and hospitals charge people for parking, it becomes a commercial space and they must pay us for engaging in commercial activity. They can either stop charging for parking or take a licence from us,” said Mr. Sharma.
Ashish Sood, Leader of the House, said the malls and hospitals have been charging exorbitant rates, and making a profit through a space not mentioned for commercial activity. “We should put out an advertisement to inform people of this,” said Mr. Sood.
Farhad Suri, Leader of the Opposition, said not only parking licence, but the malls that have advertisements in their basements should pay for the same. The corporation even charges private individuals like doctors and lawyers, who put up small boards outside their homes and businesses.
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Meanwhile, officials are unsure whether malls and hospitals can actually be forced to have free parking as they already pay property tax for the entire area.
“We will have to see if it is possible. They have to put in place a lot in infrastructure like boom barriers, and employ staff to run the parking,” said Commissioner Puneet Kumar Goel.
Officials said they had never thought about this issue, and it has only come to light now as various leaders and senior officers were charged Rs. 100-Rs.200 for parking at malls recently.
The Standing Committee
of the civic body passed a resolution to send notices to all malls and hospitals
in its jurisdiction