'MCDs working with parking mafia, not even 10 lots built by BJP since '12'

New Delhi: With the next MCD elections fast approaching, the AAP on Tuesday upped the ante against its main rival — the BJP — accusing the civic bodies run by the party of being in cahoots with parking mafia in the city — blaming this for the parking woes Delhiites continue to face daily.

AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday spoke at a press conference here saying that the party will now focus on issues that are solely under the MCDs' jurisdiction and started with the city's parking problems.

Citing a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan, the AAP leader said that Delhi currently has a requirement of space to park 1 crore vehicles but did not have nearly enough as of now. He said that the report concluded that the average person spent around 80 hours of their lives looking for a good parking spot.

Targetting the BJP-ruled MCDs, Bharadwaj noted that while the BJP had promised to build around 100 multi-level parking lots in 2012, "I believe not even 10 have been built by them." He went on to say that the BJP again promised parking lots in the 2017 elections but had built just two such lots since then, of which one was in Green Park, which had seen its first accidents within a year of opening.

The AAP leader added that the MCDs together collect around Rs 700 crores in revenues from parking but alleged that officials were conniving with parking mafia and also making "black money" by charging praking fees at spots where it cannot be charged.

For instance, Bharadwaj said that malls like DLF Mall, Vasant Kunj, Saket City Mall and hospitals had been given additional FAR for these spaces and that the MCDs had said this cannot be used for commercial purposes and they won't charge parking fees.

"But wherever you go, parking fees are being charged everywhere. This is all black money. All this work is being done in connivance with MCD and DDA. With the help of MCD and DDA, people are being robbed in broad daylight. Due to this loot, MCD has not been able to improve the parking system even in 15 years," he said.