Palika Parking to start use of smart cards

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to finally do away with paper slips and introduce smart cards for Palika Parking in Connaught Place. The civic agency said these smart cards will be on the lines of Metro smart cards used by the commuters. These smart cards can be recharged accordin
g to the requirements from single time parking to a monthly pass basis. The move will cut down on waiting time.

The smart cards are part of the new parking management system that the civic agency is in the process of placing in Palika Parking at a cost of Rs 3 crore. “At present, we have started the trial system under which the smart cards are being used. We will monitor it for a few more days and then by the end of the month it should be in place completely,” said a senior NDMC official.

The officer added that the new system of parking management will capture a picture of the vehicle that will enter the parking lot and the picture will be fed into the computer memory. On producing the card at the exit point, the computer will check if the picture matches the smart card details.

At the Palika Parking, a sign has been put up with the details of cost which is R200 per card that is refundable.

The civic agency has installed electronic parking guidance and management system under which drivers will be guided to the exact spots that are vacant.

“There are a large number of office goers and shopkeepers who use the Palika Parking on a daily basis. For their convenience, a special card on the lines of Metro cards is being supplied. The card will register the number of the car and feed it into the system for security reasons,” added the official.