Jan 20, 2025 08:50 PM IST
The top court sought responses from Delhi, other NCR states and the central government by January 29, and posted the case for February 3
NEW DELHI: A uniform parking policy for the entire national capital region (NCR) is essential to curb pollution in Delhi, the Supreme Court observed on Monday as it sought the response of the Centre and the NCR states including Delhi on augmenting public transport and providing parking spaces to the growing number of vehicles.
Hearing a petition by lawyer MC Mehta on pollution in Delhi, a bench headed by justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said, “It is important to have a parking policy for NCR and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) should be involved in it along with civic authorities.”
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) represented by senior advocate Sanjib Sen said the situation in Delhi was “shocking” since residents of colonies and apartments park vehicle on the roads. The court said the problem had become worse with people having 2 to 3 vehicles.
Wondering if there could be a solution to this problem under the common parking policy, the bench observed, “When it comes to registration of vehicles, is there any embargo on persons who already own 2 or 3 cars.”
The bench sought responses from Delhi, other NCR states, and the ministry of road by January 29, and posted the case for February 3.
“We want to know how many parking spaces are provided per apartment. This is also an important aspect,” the bench said.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, recalled that the top court had called for a comprehensive parking policy for NCR in August 2020. She added that the NCR states along with the Centre should also prepare an integrated public transport plan with special emphasis on walking and cycling space.
“The authorities must provide timelines and specify immediate actions that can be implemented.” Singh said.
CAQM, which was represented by additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, said that the commission has been in touch with all stakeholders in this regard. She filed a note by CAQM which provided an array of issues being considered by the CAQM that included the topics of parking policy and public transport augmentation.
On parking, CAQM said the civic bodies have to update their “Parking Area Management Plan” with an intensified drive against unauthorised parking on roads, markets, public places etc, with the help of the transport department and traffic police.
On augmenting public transport, Bhati said that the bus fleet in NCR was shifting to CNG or electric buses. She said the deadline for switching the NCR bus fleet to CNG or e-buses was December 31, 2026.
The court directed the states to spell out their timelines on the CAQM note and suggestions given by amicus.
The amicus pointed out the top court directed Delhi to have 10,000 buses back in 1998 but Delhi had only 7,683 buses as of July 2024, including 1,970 electric buses. Besides, a bulk of the bus fleet in the Capital is overage and adds to congestion on roads due to frequent breakdowns. Similarly, she suggested timely completion of Delhi metro projects.
Recommended Topics
