The general body of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday approved its parking policy, making it effective over a year after it was first proposed.
The policy in short
The BMC has proposed charging motorists based on the business of the area where the plot falls. The areas were divided into A (busiest lots), B (less busy) and C (least busy) categories, with 'A' being the costliest at Rs 60 per hour, followed by Rs 40 in 'B' and Rs 20 in 'C'. The policy proposes to offer cheaper services to mass transport vehicles at 50% and 30% concessional rates for taxis/rickshaws and buses respectively.
The policy has, for the first time, proposed to allow residents parking permits. Residents will be allowed to park vehicles between 8 pm and 8 am at one-third the cost of the regular monthly pass.
The BMC has proposed a fine of Rs 50 for illegal street parking. Those who will park on the street within a 100-metre periphery of a multi-storied public lot will have to pay four times the charges for off-street parking.
What are its benefits?
The policy aims at decongesting roads by hiking charges and encouraging off-street parking in busy areas. As highlighted by dna in a series of reports, the roads department had proposed an increase in parking charges to streamline parking of vehicles across the city depending on the usage of lots. This means that parking slots which are used the most will be charged the highest.
Why was it delayed by over a year?
The policy was approved by the civic improvement committee in December 2013 and was supposed to be executed from 2014. Due to the parliamentary and assembly elections last year, it was not considered by the BMC fearing sharp reactions amongst residents. The House approved it on Friday amidst steep protest by opposition parties including Congress, MNS, SP and NCP.
Why is Oppn against it?
The opposition says that it will adversely impact motorists. "Following approval to the policy, motorists will have to pay 300 per cent more than what they did. This is going to inflict commoners. The ruling parties have started pinching pockets of the public after having attained success in general and assembly polls," said opposition leader Devendra Amberkar before tearing up the policy documents in the House and staging a walkout, supported by other opposition parties.
Taxi, auto drivers will bear brunt too
Ashraf Azmi, Samajwadi party corporator from Kurla said that besides motorists, taxi and rickshaw drivers will also bear the brunt of this policy. "These are the men who serve public. If the BMC is going to charge them more, it will eventually trouble the public," Azmi said.
Implement parking permit
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena's MLA-corporator Sunil Prabhu suggested that the BMC should implement residents' parking permit (to be offered at night) in any of the 24 BMC wards on an experimental basis. "Let the BMC first see if the plan works and then it can implement the same in remaining wards depending upon its success," Prabhu said.
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