New Delhi: If you’ve been parking your car at a Metro station, get ready to fork out more. Delhi Metro, which has received complaints of people misusing its parking, has finally decided to act. From this Thursday (September 1), only regular Metro users who have smart cards, are being given monthly passes. Others can pay a higher charge on a daily basis. For them, DMRC is introducing hourly parking rates, as in MCD and NDMC parking areas, from September 8. “The monthly passes will be given to smart card holders, who have been regularly using their card for more than 20 days in the past month. The station managers will verify these card holders before the parking contractor allows the monthly pass,” said a DMRC spokesperson. The increase in the parking rate – from a flat Rs 10 to an hour-based rate – is to ensure that parking is available to all. “A study by Delhi Metro has found that a majority of the parking lots were being taken over by cars of local shopkeepers or office-goers nearby. The Metro parking is not meant to be used as a permanent parking lot but rather for a continuously moving traffic. This defeated that purpose.” The hike in rate is not steep, though those parking for longer hours will have to pay much more than before. While the Metro station at Patel Chowk and Vishwavidyalaya will be the most expensive – Rs 20 for six hours, Rs 30 for 12 hours and Rs 40 for longer – elsewhere the rates are half of this. Added the DMRC official, “The rates are commensurate with those charged by the MCD and considerably less than the NDMC rates.” The monthly charge for parking cars at stations will be Rs 625 while the charge for two and threewheelers will be Rs 300. To get the monthly pass, a commuter will be required to submit his/her request on a prescribed format along with copies of the driving licence, registration certificate and the engraved ID of the smart card at the Metro station. Initially, 18 Metro stations – Dilshad Garden, Jhilmil, Shahdara, Seelampur, Tis Hazari, Pulbangash, Pratap Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Inder Lok, Kanhiya Nagar, Rohini West, Rithala, GTB Nagar, Patel Chowk, R K Ashram, Moti Nagar, Janakpuri East and Uttam Nagar East – will be covered by the scheme.