Noida : The Noida Village Residents Association (NOVRA) has called for strict enforcement of parking norms across Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and the Yamuna Expressway region. The demand comes after the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), in response to an RTI application filed by NOVRA president and RTI activist Dr Ranjan Tomar, shared important parking-related provisions published in the Uttar Pradesh Gazette. Dr Tomar said the Gazette contains detailed parking standards for different categories of buildings and institutions. He emphasised that these provisions must be implemented uniformly by the concerned development authorities to address traffic congestion, illegal parking and encroachment on public roads.
Gazette specifies parking requirements for different buildings
According to the provisions shared by YEIDA, the prescribed parking requirements include one parking space for every two rooms in hostels, lodges and guest houses; one space for every 100 square metres of FAR in educational buildings; one for every 50 square metres of FAR in IT/ITES and office buildings; and one for every 65 square metres of FAR in hospitals. Hospitals must also provide one ambulance space for every 375 square metres of FAR. Commercial buildings require one parking space for every 30 square metres of FAR, while industrial and storage buildings require one for every 100 square metres of FAR. Multiplexes must provide one parking space for every 15 seats and religious buildings one for every 100 square metres of FAR.
Gazette allows multi-level and underground parking
The Gazette also contains provisions for multi-level and underground parking facilities. Multi-level parking is permissible on all categories of plots. Underground parking can also be developed beneath parks and open spaces, subject to prescribed conditions, approval from the concerned authority and a public hearing process. These provisions include a minimum park area of 5,000 square metres and a minimum road width of 18 metres, along with other stipulated requirements.
School parking remains a major concern
Highlighting the traffic congestion outside schools in Noida and Greater Noida, Dr Tomar said inadequate parking arrangements at educational institutions are a major cause of daily traffic disruptions. He pointed out that the Gazette provides for 45 metres of off-street parking for schools, along with prescribed frontage parking provisions for other institutions. However, vehicles continue to be parked on roads outside several schools, affecting traffic movement and public convenience. He urged authorities to ensure that new schools coming up in the Yamuna region comply with parking norms from the planning stage itself.
NOVRA seeks parking audits and strict action against violators
NOVRA has put forward a series of demands to the development authorities of Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and YEIDA. The association has sought a review and strict enforcement of applicable building regulations, along with dedicated parking audits of schools, hospitals, hostels, commercial establishments and industrial premises. It has also demanded that adequate parking be made mandatory while approving building plans and new projects. NOVRA has called for promoting multi-level and underground parking in emerging urban areas of the Yamuna region. The association further wants action against establishments using approved parking spaces for commercial activities and buildings found violating prescribed parking norms.
‘Public roads cannot become private parking spaces’ – NOVRA
The parking problem in cities is no longer merely an inconvenience. It has become a serious issue affecting citizens’ time, road safety and public infrastructure. When clear parking regulations already exist in the government Gazette, their non-compliance should not be acceptable. Development authorities must ensure that builders and institutions do not turn public roads into parking spaces for their commercial convenience. NOVRA wants effective implementation of parking standards across Noida, Ghaziabad and the Yamuna region, with accountability fixed for those who violate the rules.
Dr Ranjan Tomar
NOVRA has maintained that the solution to urban parking problems lies in ensuring adequate parking facilities at the building planning and construction stage rather than allowing roads, footpaths and other public spaces to be occupied by parked vehicles. The association has urged the concerned authorities to enforce existing regulations and ensure that builders and institutions are held accountable for parking violations.