Overcharging, illegal billing rampant at MCD parking lots across Delhi

Spot checks reveal rampant overcharging and illegal billing at MCD parking lots, with contractors violating authorized rates and issuing fake receipts.

Illegal parking charges are being collected at several Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) parking lots, with contractors allegedly overcharging users beyond the authorised rates and issuing manipulated receipts. Spot checks conducted by The Hindu on Friday revealed multiple instances of violations.

When questioned, a senior MCD official said, “If anyone is charging more than the notified rates, we take action based on complaints. We are planning to revamp the entire system to rectify these loopholes in the coming month.”

At an MCD surface-level car park in Hauz Khas Village, a user parking for an hour or two pays ₹100 instead of the authorised ₹ 40. Manned by four attendants, the lot has no board displaying the parking charges and is meant to accommodate 700 cars. As the entry slip mentions only the entry time and vehicle number, users pay the amount stated by the attendant via a physical UPI QR code or in cash. Exit parking slips are issued only upon request, and no users were seen protesting the overcharging.

An attendant manually recorded the exit time and the amount received in a notebook instead of generating a digital slip. The attendants were not wearing uniforms.

When Bhavya Singh was asked to pay ₹100 for parking for nearly two hours, she insisted on a receipt to verify the charges. The “exit parking receipt” listed only one rate — ₹100 for one to five hours for a car — and did not include parking lot’s name or address.

When asked, one of the attendants said, “Whether you park your car for less than one hour or two hours, the charge is fixed at ₹100. Thereafter, it is ₹50 per hour.” Similar scenes — non-uniform receipts, inconsistent charges, and the absence of display boards — were observed in Lajpat Nagar, South Extension, and Defence Colony.