Cabbies may have to give proof of parking space to get permits

WHEN NOT ON DUTY, MOST TAXIS ARE PARKED IN RESIDENTIAL COLONIES THAT HAS BECOME AN ISSUE FOR COLONY RESIDENTS

The Delhi government, in a bid to ease the parking woes of the city, is considering the idea of first seeking proof of parking space from taxi owners before issuing permits.

The idea was mooted after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal expressed concern over the increasing number of cabs in the city. According to figures with the transport department, the number of cabs, especially those under aggregators like Ola and Uber, has increased by around 20,000 in the past 4-5 months.

“We plan to come up with a policy where before issuing permits to taxi drivers they will be asked to submit proof of space to park cars. A separate policy will have to be made for that,” a government official said.

At present, there are no designated parking places for cabs which have crossed the 1.5 lakh mark in Delhi-NCR.

The rapid surge in their number has made roads in the more chaotic and traffic jam prone.

At present, there is no rule asking owners of taxis to submit proof of parking space before permits are issued to them under the City Taxi Scheme, 2015. “The government is already preparing a City Taxi Scheme, 2017 and if the rule gets all approvals then it would also be included in the new scheme,” the official added.

When not on duty, most of taxis are parked in residential colonies that has become an issue for colony residents.

“A large number of cabs end up blocking the narrow 8-12 feet wide streets in unauthorized colonies as majority of drivers live in such localities. They prefer to park their cars right in front of their houses. A number of RWAs have complained about the menace of cabs being parked in their colonies overnight,” said a official in the transport department.