Residents of South Mumbai continued to oppose BMC's new pay-and-park policy on Friday. Resident associations and citizen groups were part of BMC's hearing on the policy, where they gave their suggestions and raised objections too. Additional municipal commissioner SVR Srinivas held the hearing.
dna had on Thursday reported that the state government had asked the BMC to hear their suggestions and objections before taking a call on the new policy.
"We have opposed the policy completely, it is not practical at all. They can't burden citizens by charging such exorbitant rates. We have suggested some changes and the BMC has agreed to incorporate them. The BMC must make underground parking lots first. We will give our suggestions in writing to the BMC in 15 days," Raj Purohit, BJP legislator from Colaba, said.
The decision to ask the BMC to hold back the policy and hear out residents was taken last month by minister of state for urban development Ranjit Patil. Following BMC's move to implement a pay-and-park policy, which proposed a 300% hike in parking charges, residents had raised a hue and cry.
"BMC's policy has many loopholes. It wants to introduce night parking charges but the policy doesn't specify who will regulate parking. We have asked the BMC to first regulate illegal parking and hawkers at Colaba Causeway. Once that is done, we can discuss the parking policy," said Makarand Narvekar, citizen corporator from Colaba.
Patil has asked the BMC to submit a report on the policy after incorporating citizens' suggestions and objections.
The BMC was to conduct a pilot project with the new policy in its A ward, which covers plush South Mumbai areas of Colaba, Fort and Cuffe Parade. According to the policy, the proposed residential parking rate for the island city — Colaba to Mahim — has been set at a steep Rs1,800 a month per car. The rates for western and eastern suburbs are Rs1,200 and Rs600 per month per car, respectively.
Following a year of the stay, the BMC had urged the state to review it. The proposed parking policy had aimed to increase parking fees in South Mumbai to discourage use of private vehicles on roads by proposing a parking charge of Rs60 per hour in prime localities.
