In a major move to address the problem of vehicle emissions, the Delhi government has notificationally mandated a move to double the rates of parking in Delhi whenever the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) goes into Stages 3 or 4. This will be a financial strategy to deter people from using private vehicles on Delhi’s “Severe” or “Severe-Plus” peak hazardous days.
New mandate under E.P Act
The gazette notification, which is issued under Section 5 of the Environmental Protection Act, confers powers on the LG to enforce the automatic hike. Though the note is dated January 8, it was released by the Environment Department on January 22.
This order will apply to all authorised parking areas in the city, with a sharp emphasis on curbing the massive vehicle footprint of this city. Delhi’s whopping vehicle population of 8.24 million competing for only 106,037 approved parking spots in 677 parking facilities is described in the gazette.
Exemption for Delhi Metro (DMRC)
Furthermore, in a move to encourage the shift towards sustainable models of travel, parking lots run by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Pvt. Ltd. have been kept completely exempted from the hike. Here, the government pointed to the Metro as a service vital to connecting the public transportation network in the area by providing the “park and ride” experience.
The scientific rationale: Vehicles as major polluters
It references the landmark study conducted by IIT Kanpur to justify the increase in the prices. The study emphasised the damage caused to lungs due to vehicular exhaust in Delhi:
Winter Impact: Vehicles contribute 25.1% of PM2.5 and 19.7% of PM10 levels.
Gas Emissions: In the city, road transportation contributes to 92% of the total Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) and 30% of the total Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions.
Implementation issues and expert criticisms
While it may sound feasible, the experts warn of “implementation confusion.” In effect, in Grap Stage 2, or “Very Poor,” there are already measures proposed to be implemented in raising parking fees. Note that by explicitly mandating the “doubling” at Stages 3 or 4, the government is creating a loophole in enforcement in GRAP Stage 2 itself.
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