Delhi High Court questions parking fees charged at malls, hospitals; seeks SDMC response

A petition claimed that high parking fees charged by these malls, hospital and commercial establishments violates the civic body's notification

NEW DELHI: Raking the issue of malls, hospitals and commercial establishments charging parking fees from public, the Delhi High Court on Monday sought the local authority's stand on the matter.

Listening to a public interest litigation (PIL), a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued a notice to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and sought its response on the issue.

A petition by a city resident claimed that high parking fees charged by these malls, hospital and commercial establishments violates the civic body's notification.

The SDMC in 2015 and the Delhi Police in 2016 had prohibited charging of fees from the general public for parking their vehicles in malls, hospitals or office complexes, says the petition. These charges are claimed under the garb of maintenance charges.

The petition further alleged the civic body has not taken action against such establishments.

The court sought directions from the SDMC to take appropriate legal action against those responsible for charging the parking fees.

Earlier, the SDMC standing committee directed all district commissioners to make a report of all malls and hospitals that charge parking fee illegally, and seal them if they continue to flout rules.

The next hearing on the matter is on February 19.