While Delhi is moving towards paid parking in most of its commercial areas, unreserved parking in residential areas continues to be on a predominantly first-cum-first serve basis. The current practice of free on-street parking in most neighbourhoods of Delhi is not only an elite capture of public land for private purpose; it is also deeply contested often resulting in serious hostility between neighbours. There are an increasing number of media reports on violent disputes, at times ending even in deaths, over limited residential parking spaces as car ownership is consistently showing an upward trend in the city.

Delhi Master Plan-2047 (MPD-2047) notified on August 20, 2026, aims to disincentivise the use of private vehicles, encourage more public transport use, and “enhance the potential of active travel of walking and cycling as an affordable, comfortable and safe mobility option”. It also presents a “fundamental shift in managing city parking, which is moving away from expanding parking capacity to managing parking demand.” The plan clearly intends to rationalise parking norms for freeing up more street space, reducing and capping parking spaces for private vehicles, and introducing strict space limits. The plan’s measures for disincentivising private car usage include dynamic and congestion pricing in high-demand........

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