Delhi’s parking chaos: MCD parking operators owe ₹80 crore unpaid dues over last 3 years

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has accumulated more than ₹80 crore in unpaid licence fees and contract dues from parking operators over the last three years, according to official documents tabled before its Standing Committee, as reported by PTI.

The figures were disclosed in response to a short-notice question raised by BJP councillor and Standing Committee member Hem Chand Goel during the committee’s meeting at the Civic Centre on September 24.

The reply was approved by the competent authority and issued under the signature of the administrative officer, summarising the extent of unpaid dues, contract issues and the civic body's plans to reorganise its parking network.

Despite holding earnest money deposits and advance security amounts totalling nearly ₹109 crore, the civic body continues to face persistent non-payment by contractors, leading to default notices, security forfeitures and cancellation of contracts, the MCD said in its reply.

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In its response, the MCD also provided a three-year revenue break-up for its parking assets. Parking revenue stood at ₹179.45 crore in 2023-24, ₹186.05 crore in 2024-25 and ₹137.17 crore in 2025-26, while total revenue collected from all sources was ₹253.93 crore, ₹275.74 crore and ₹265.58 crore, respectively. The civic body manages 463 parking facilities, including 433 surface parking lots and 30 multilevel or mechanical parking structures, across Delhi.

Digital mapping, recovery push & new sites

To tighten oversight and check unauthorised operations, the MCD also said it is carrying out physical verification and creating a GIS-based digital database for all existing and newly tendered parking locations. The move is aimed at plugging revenue leakages, improving monitoring of contractor performance and ensuring that only authorised sites collect parking fees from commuters.

Despite pending dues, the corporation is planning to expand its parking network. Officials indicated plans to develop about 83 new parking sites across the city to ease congestion and boost non-tax revenue.

However, repeated defaults by operators have complicated the renewal of existing contracts and stalled some site handovers, forcing the MCD to repeatedly invoke bank guarantees and initiate fresh tendering processes.

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The disclosure has intensified calls for tighter oversight of parking contracts and stronger enforcement against defaulting operators. Councillors have sought stricter pre-qualification norms, real-time revenue monitoring and faster adjudication of disputes to prevent future accumulation of dues.