Revised draft DP lists parking authority in city

Owing to the rise of vehicles on the city’s roads, the local government is facing a challenge in terms of parking space availability. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been exploring several options to supply parking spaces to the city through its new parking policy which includes on-street and off-street parking with increased parking charges. But the Revised Draft Development Plan (RDDP) 2034, which was recently passed by the civic body, tells of setting up a ‘Parking Authority’ to oversee the city’s parking arrangements and manage parking spaces.

The authority will not only comprise officers from different departments of BMC but also from traffic police. The DP report says, “Looking at parking as a component of a city’s public infrastructure, several cities around the world have created statute parking authorities in order to provide convenient, safe and affordable parking. The Development Control Regulations have stipulated the provision of such a Parking Authority at the BMC level. The parking authority will develop parking regulations for BMC.”

BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said, “We are trying to bring in more private and public spaces for parking. The authority will regulate parking and bring in more discipline.”