By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Friday issued notice to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on a plea by the Khan Market traders’ association challenging a single judge’s order asking them to either pay a monthly fee of Rs.5.34 lakh to enable free parking of vehicles or the civic body would levy the charge.
A division bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the NDMC, seeking its response by Monday.
Going by the views of the the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), Justice S. Muralidhar earlier refused to interfere with the decision and noted: “There is paid parking in every major commercial center and market in the NDMC area except in Khan Market. The impugned decision was only extending the policy of paid parking to Khan Market as well…The traders’ association has been unable to persuade the court otherwise.”
The single judge has also told the association to deposit a license fee of Rs 5.34 lakh with the NDMC by 5 p.m. on June 6 if it wished to maintain the parking issue by itself.
“If they do so, they will be permitted by the NDMC to manage the parking in Khan Market for a period to be decided by the NDMC on the terms and conditions laid down by the civic agency, which would be no different from the terms and conditions governing other parking contracts of the NDMC,” the court earlier said.
“The market complex is visited by high-profile clientele comprising diplomats, politicians, judges, high government officials and, as a result, the market is under constant scrutiny with regard to the facilities and amenities available,” the traders said, protesting against the parking fee move.
The court’s attention was also drawn to the fact that till now there was no parking mafia in the market but the NDMC’s attempt to charge for parking might lead to a mafia mushrooming in the area.
Parking at the market has been free for the past 60 years. The tender for the paid parking has been awarded to a private company. In their petition, the traders have also sought an order to quash the civic agency’s decision to award the tender to a private company to run the paid parking system.