Buying a new car? You will have to arrange for a parking space first

If you want to buy a new car, you must make sure that you have a proof that you own a parking space as centre is looking forward to passing this rule in future.

"I am very keen on this. I am talking to the surface transport minister and also sensitising the states. We would be moving in that direction," Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.

If such a proposal comes from the urban development ministry, it would be considered.

"Space crunch for parking and congestion in cities are big concerns. We're serious about decongestion of roads," an official told TOI.

The intention has been welcomed by the urban transport experts, but they feel that it will be tough implementing such a proposal. First, registration of vehicles is done by state transport departments, but municipal bodies deal with parking issues. Moreover, barring people to buy new vehicles should ideally be preceded with making efficient public transport available.

"The proposed measures to curb purchase of cars in the city are not unusual -many large metropolitan cities across the world have imposed such restrictions on car ownership with a fair amount of success. Such measures coupled with the increase in public transport infrastructure shall help free public space as well as reduce pollution. If these measures are implemented in a planned way and logically, will go a long way towards decontesting the city and are welcome steps towards the goal of making Delhi a true metropolis," an architect and urban planner Sudhir Vohra, told TOI.

Experts also want the government to take other steps such as hiking parking charges, levying charges for using private vehicles in congested areas and increasing interest rate for car loans to discourage people from buying vehicles.

Illegal and on-road parking have also been one of the major reasons of choking roads in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. It's no different even in smaller cities.