Bombay High Court directs MSRDC to take over the space from private agencies at the earliest.
Finding parking space could soon get more difficult in the days to come. The Bombay high court on Friday refused to intervene in a resolution passed by a public agency, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which sought to stop pay-and-park facilities below flyovers across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. In the wake of perception of security threat, the agency’s governing body had passed the above resolution last month.
In the past, parking of vehicles under flyovers has been seen as a potential terror threat.
Currently, the space under 12 flyovers in the three cities has been given on contract to private agencies. The contracts are valid up to 2018. The court has now directed the public agency to take possession of the parking space at the earliest.
However, to secure the contracted space, the development agency will have to spend anywhere between Rs12crore and Rs13 crore which had been collected while awarding the contracts. Once the space is acquired, it will be beautified and it will be handed over to the local municipal corporation for utilisation.
The court gave the direction during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Navi Mumbai resident, Rajbhoj Torne, challenging a notification issued by the state to stop pay-and-park facilities below flyovers. Torne had requested the court to set aside the notification. His contention was that it was getting difficult by the day to find parking space for his vehicle.
Appearing for the public agency, advocate Vijay Patil placed the board’s resolution before the court. A division bench of the court set aside Torne’s appeal. It said that the cancelling of contracts was a policy decision in the wake of threat perception and said it would not be correct to interfere in it. The court has also asked the agency to submit an update of the case after two months.
Down under
-
Parking beneath flyovers will not be allowed in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai due to security threat. Parking is allowed under 12 flyovers.
-
After the state’s development agency passed a resolution to this effect, a Navi Mumbai resident challenged the decision, saying it was difficult to find parking space.
-
The court refused to intervene with the decision
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}