Even as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to expand multi-level parking facilities across the city, a ground visit suggests that many existing parking structures remain underused, while illegal and unauthorised roadside parking continues to choke roads and markets.
Presenting the estimated budget for 2026-27 in the first week of December 2025, MCD Commissioner Ashwini Kumar said the civic body “plans to open 20 more parking facilities in the coming year”. All of these, he said, will be self-multi-level parking systems instead of surface lots, as they can accommodate more vehicles in limited space and are considered more “efficient”.
Parked vehicles choke roads
However, spot checks by The Hindu at several existing multi-level parking sites – both newly inaugurated and those operational for years – found that many facilities with capacities of over 500 cars were lying largely empty. In contrast, roads around markets and commercial hubs were crowded with vehicles parked in no-parking zones.
Parking operators and car users cited several reasons for avoiding automated parking, including the time required for parking and retrieval, the distance to destinations, and the availability of cheaper or free roadside parking.
