The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will soon come up with a mobile app through which people can locate availability of space in a parking lot and even make digital payments.

With the Delhi government all set to notify its new Parking Rules, 2017, all three municipal corporations are understood to be planning to implement higher penalties for wrong parking. They also plan to provide automated and hi-tech parking spaces.

According to the new rules, roadside parking in residential colonies will be allowed in demarcated areas for a fee.

The new parking policy recommends parking controls with charges for night and day hours and a limit on the number of vehicles to be accommodated on residential and commercial streets in the city.

A senior official of the South Corporation said, “Work on the application has already started. We are holding consultations for its features. The app will help streamline parking issues, as vehicle-owners will be assured of parking space once they book a slot. This will help reduce haphazard parking as well parking on roadside.”

The civic body has already identified land for building stack parking. These lots will have a digital map of the parking area and the slots available for both four-wheelers and two-wheelers.

“We have 103 parking lots in commercial areas. All of these and the upcoming parking lots will be synced under the system to book parking space through the app. We are currently having discussions and the proposal will soon be put up in the House for approval. We have a plan ready and are waiting for the government to tell civic bodies when to submit it,” the official said.

Most parking spaces across the city, including surface and multi-level lots, are being maintained by the three corporations, which are now focusing on building stack parking that is more user-friendly and takes less time in construction.

The North and East Corporations are also planning to hike parking fee and penalties. On a pilot basis, the North Corporation started a drive on 1 September against roadside parking, with penalty being five times the usual parking rate, in two areas ‑ Kamla Nagar and Model Town.

“The pilot project is on. We will review the progress of the programme next month. We can see a change in parking patterns already. There are multi-level parking lots at both markets but people still parked on streets as there was no fear of law. Now that the penalty has become five times, there has been a change in people’s habits,” an official of the North Corporation remarked.