In a city like Mumbai, where parking is a perennial problem, Hari Niwas Society in lane C in Marine Drive came up with a thoughtful way of resolving the issue for its members. The committee decided to introduce valet parking. Kanwal Shahpuri, the joint secretary of the society, says, “Since our society is not very big, parking vehicles posed a big problem. Residents could hardly ever find a proper parking space and often had to wait for long to find one. We got repeated complaints regarding this, so we decided to start valet parking. We have hired a person, who comes in the morning and helps the residents take out their cars and again in the evening, around seven, and helps the residents park their cars.”
Another positive aspect about the society is that they have four ventilation-shafts that run along the length of the building. “We have four ventilation shafts. Many buildings keep their ventilation shafts closed in order to keep out the pigeons, which leads to the opening being covered as well, hence there is no fresh air coming in. We, at Hari Niwas, have put nets over the shafts to keep out the pigeons. It is really nice in the morning or late in the evening when there is a draft coming in through these shafts. They are like the lungs of the building.”
The importance given to security is noteworthy. At any given point of time there are at least four security guards present in the premises. They have also installed eight CCTV cameras at the four corners of the building. A person at the entrance monitors these cameras 24X7.
Sanitation of the society is also one of our focus areas. “There are four in-house sweepers, who clean the society everyday. They stay in the society itself and we take good care of them. A few weeks ago, when one of them had to go to his village for a fortnight and needed an advance payment of his salary, we willingly gave it to him. This kind of mutual understanding ensures that they are happy working for us because they know that they will be looked after,” said Mandar Kariger, manager of the society.
Shahpuri also informs that the residents are nice and open-minded. He said, “I have lived in this building all my life, and I have never seen any dispute taking place. All matters are solved peacefully. Also, the residents follow the rules put forth by the committee.”
Another distinguishing aspect and probably the USP of the society is that it has a good water management system in place. “We have a very efficient water management system, which provides us with 24 hours water supply. We have a main water tank in the front in which BMC water comes every evening. We have installed a submersible pump in the tank, which has sensors, and as the tank nears its capacity, the pump transfers the extra water into the auxiliary tank, which is at the back. The auxiliary tank is also fitted with a submersible pump, and once it gets filled, the pump then transfers the water into the main overhead tank. In this way we have 24 hours supply of water; there is enough stored water even in times of emergency. This is our way of giving back to the environment, as water is one the most essential natural resources. It should be conserved and used wisely,” says Shahpuri.
Thumbs Up:
1. Efficient water management system
2. High security
3. Innovative management
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