Parking proof for vehicle registration raises stir among motorists, experts

Transport experts and motorists have reacted strongly to the Sunder Committee recommendations making proof of parking mandatory before registration of vehicles.

The Sunder Committee was formed to review the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

While car owners opposed the proposed norm vigorously, Regional Transport Officials and transport analysts say it is an idea whose time has come.

Nitin Dossa of the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) criticised the Sunder Committee, saying that the recommendations were far from practical. “It is the duty of the government to see to it that enough parking for cars is provided,” Dossa said. Amardeep Singh Hora of the Responsible Road Users’ Club (RRUC) said, “It is an impractical idea. People will start providing fake proofs of parking. When you don’t even have clear demarcations of parking and no-parking areas on roads, how can such a radical idea be implemented?”

A senior official from the transport department said, “The ratio of vehicle population to the road length in Mumbai is already the lowest in the country. This idea needs to be implemented as it is one of the important ways to control the ballooning vehicle population, which has made commuting on roads such a nightmare.”

Meanwhile, transport analyst Ashok Datar said, “This is a very important initiative. The initiative will help curb the rising rnumber of vehicles on roads. We should not ignore this at all.”