New Delhi: After years of complaints from traders and shoppers, Sarojini Nagar Market is set to get long-awaited relief from its chronic parking chaos, with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) taking over the newly built multi-level parking facility in the area. Constructed by National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), the facility will now be operated by NDMC’s parking cell and is expected to become operational later this month. NDMC vice-chairman Kuljeet Chahal said the conventional multi-level parking structure, with a capacity of about 680 vehicles, has been formally transferred to NDMC’s civil department under a memorandum of understanding. “Coordination with the parking cell is in progress to make the facility operational on priority, in view of the growing parking demand. The parking cell has requested sufficient manpower and a fully computerised fee collection system, both of which will be implemented shortly,” Chahal said. Chahal added that the procurement of equipment and machinery required for smooth operations has already begun.The parking project is part of the larger redevelopment of the govt residential complex in Sarojini Nagar and is aimed at easing on-road parking and reducing traffic congestion around the market. The ground-plus-four-storey structure features ramp-based circulation for vehicle movement. Each parking slot is fitted with sensors that display availability — red for occupied and green for vacant. Drivers will receive real-time information at the entry point and on every floor, officials had earlier said.Although an automated multi-level parking facility already exists near the market, shopkeepers said it takes 15–20 minutes for a vehicle to be parked, discouraging its use. “The NBCC parking facility has ramps providing access to different floors, making parking faster and more convenient. This model is likely to see higher footfall. We urgently need a functional solution and hope the facility opens soon,” traders said. Talks to hand over the NBCC parking to NDMC began in April last year, but officials were waiting for the completion certificate. During this period, NDMC assessed the manpower needed to run and maintain the lot.“For now, the facility will be operated by NDMC staff. However, the civic body plans to transfer the operation of all parking lots to a private concessionaire. Preparations for the tendering process to hire expert agencies for maintenance and operations are underway,” Chahal said. NDMC had earlier revised its operational framework for 155 parking sites across Lutyens’ Delhi after several failed attempts to appoint an expert agency for an integrated intelligent parking system. Under the new plan, parking sites have been divided into three zones — Connaught Place, Kartavya Path and areas north of Kartavya Path, including Sarojini Nagar, Bhikaji Cama Place and nearby localities. The civic body aims to complete the tendering process by March.
