New Delhi: The AAP Saturday alleged the BJP-ruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation is "looting people" by proposing to raise parking rates, a claim the saffron party termed "misleading".
Addressing a press conference, AAP spokesperson and MLA Atishi claimed the SDMC wants to increase the parking rate from Rs 20 to Rs 40 per hour, exhibiting how they are repeatedly coming up with policies to unnecessarily increase tax rates.
"In the last one year, the BJP-ruled South MCD has brought such proposals to increase parking rate for the 10th time to loot money from the public," Atishi said.
She charged the BJP is doing so as it knows they have just one year left in office to "loot public money and indulge in corruption" before they are ousted from power in the next civic body polls.
"The Aam Aadmi Party demands that the South MCD immediately withdraw the proposal to double the rate of parking and stop looting the public," she said.
Reacting to the charges, Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor asked Atishi to stop "misleading" people on the issue of parking charges as they have not been increased in general by SDMC.
"A multi-level parking has been constructed by the SDMC near the Green Park Market and to encourage its use, the rates of parking on the Green Park Road have been increased, and that too as per Hon'ble Supreme Court's directive.
"Parking on roads is a menace in Delhi which apart from creating jams often causes street fights. To end these problems, MCDs despite financial constraints are working on plans to construct more & more multi-level parkings", Kapoor said.
It is the need of the hour that wherever multi-level parkings are constructed parking of vehicles on roads be discouraged and only emergency vehicles and those of public utility like auto-rickshaws and cabs be allowed to park, he said.