New Delhi: The multi-level car parking facility at Greater Kailash-I M Block Market, developed by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and opened to the public just nine months ago, has been closed for the past three-four days after heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging in its basement.According to local traders, the parking operator has installed pumps to drain out the accumulated water and entry of vehicles has been temporarily suspended. With the facility likely to remain non-functional for the next few days, the traders have raised questions over the drainage arrangements at the parking structure.A spot visit by TOI Wednesday found a small amount of water near the base of the lift in the basement. No vehicles were parked inside the facility. A pump was stationed near the ramp leading to the basement, indicating that draining operations were still underway.A trader, requesting anonymity, said he was denied entry when he tried parking his vehicle at the facility Tuesday. “We were told the basement was flooded. The machinery to operate the vehicle lifts was submerged, making the automated system non-operational. We heard some vehicles parked inside got stranded due to the flooding and had to be removed with considerable effort,” he said.According to him, a wall is being built near the exit as a barrier to prevent rainwater from entering the basement in future. “But that wall could prove to be a barrier when it comes to the movement of ambulances or emergency vehicles,” he said.Another trader said three-four vehicles had been stationed near the lift area on the ground floor to prevent motorists from entering the facility. “The parking was finally made operational after a long wait and was expected to ease congestion in the busy market and surrounding commercial roads. Hundreds of people visit the market every day. With the facility shut, motorists are once again being forced to park on the roadside,” he said.An MCD official said, “Parking is non-operational since three-four days due to accumulation of water due to high rain. BSES has cut the supply for safety purpose. All the water has now been pumped out and the machinery is made fit for operation. BSES asked for ‘machinery fit’ certificate. The final testing will be done Thursday and the certificate will be provided to BSES to resume the supply. Parking services are expected to resume Thursday evening.”The automated multi-level shuttle parking, built at a cost of Rs 64 crore, is equipped with five vehicle lifts and can accommodate 399 vehicles. The project was inaugurated by CM Rekha Gupta in Sept 2025, but opened to the public only in Nov after pending statutory compliances and clearances related to tree removal were in place.The latest disruption has also revived concerns over MCD’s other multi-level parking facility at New Friends Colony, which was opened to the public in 2016 but has never become fully functional because of persistent basement waterlogging. Officials had attributed the problem to the presence of an active aquifer, resulting in year-round seepage. Although pumps have been installed to remove the water, residents have questioned whether adequate geotechnical and soil studies were carried out before excavation and construction. In June, funds were allocated to fix the problem, with a deadline of 12 months.
