Robotic parking on Chandigarh’s radar as Mayor visits Delhi facilities

Following multi-level parking, the next feature you may see in Chandigarh is robotic parking. For the first time, Chandigarh Mayor Saurabh Joshi proposed this type of parking for the city beautiful.

The Mayor on Thursday visited two robotic parking facilities in Delhi alongside civic body officers to examine how the system could be implemented in Chandigarh. In a video shared on social media, Joshi explained the features of robotic parking. He stated that it is a fully automated system that functions without manual intervention.

He highlighted its numerous benefits, noting that more cars can be parked in less space. The vehicle automatically moves up to whichever floor has an available parking slot.

Joshi also recently wrote to the administration regarding the construction of more underground parkings and the revamping of defunct and underutilised underground facilities.

He pointed out that several underground parking lots currently managed by the Municipal Corporation have effectively become “white elephants.” He emphasised that with strategic planning and private participation, these spaces could be transformed into revenue-generating “gold mines.”

The Mayor noted that Chandigarh presently has four major defunct underground parking sites—three located in Sector 17 and one in Sector 8—which hold immense potential for redevelopment.

Additionally, he proposed including the Elante Mall parking lot under the same model, where integrated commercial activities alongside parking infrastructure could significantly enhance revenue streams for the Municipal Corporation.

Drawing parallels with successful models, Mayor Joshi cited examples from Old Delhi, where similar projects have been implemented through private players like Omaxe Limited. This has resulted in substantial public revenue generation and improved urban infrastructure. He added that adopting the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model would not only save crores of rupees for the public exchequer but also ensure sustainable revenue growth for the Municipal Corporation.

A robotic parking system is also known as an Automated Parking System (APS). In this setup, drivers simply leave their cars in a designated entry bay. Sophisticated machinery—combining robotic arms, shuttles, and lifts—then transports the vehicle to a pre-assigned slot, often stacking cars vertically or horizontally in a dense, compact configuration. Retrieval is equally seamless; the car is delivered back to the driver, typically facing forward for an easy exit, within two to three minutes.