BEST clears out dealer’s vehicles from its depot in Gorai

BEST bus depot in Gorai after the vehicles were moved out. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Taking prompt action, BEST administration on Tuesday cleared all the vehicles parked by Gravityy Motors in BEST depot premises in Gorai, which also acts as a public parking lot, a day after mid-day reported how the depot was being used by the private car dealer to park cars meant for buying and selling. However, the woe is still far from over as the cars are now parked on the road outside the depot, causing inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists on the busy Linking Road.

The BEST undertaking had opened up its depots as public pay-and-park facilities after a request by the BMC, which had also categorically stated that use of the space for commercial purposes will not be allowed.

The vehicles have now been parked outside the depot on the road

BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra told mid-day that the undertaking is always open to grievances and complaints from citizens and takes immediate action.

Sunny Panchal, owner of Gravityy Motors, said, "Now that BEST has asked me to move the vehicles, the cars are on the street as I have no alternative arrangement. It's not only me, there are nearly 18 such car dealers in Borivli and Kandivli who park their vehicles on roads. In fact, I cleared my last due amount of nearly R24,000 to BEST today."

The move comes after Borivli-based advocate Manjula Biswas last week wrote a letter to the BEST administration highlighting the issue. The dealer had allegedly been using the premises for over two years and the BEST collected rent for the same.

Biswas said, "I am thankful to the BEST administration for prompt action on the complaint." She, however, added that the vehicles moved out of the depot are now parked outside, creating obstacles for pedestrians. "The vehicles are now parked on the road and are causing inconvenience. It may even lead to fatal accidents as citizens are forced to walk on the busy road," she said.

"Traffic police should initiate a special drive to clear such vehicles and penalise erring dealers. In fact, such drives should be carried out on a regular basis, as despite action, they are back after some days or in some cases even in a couple of hours. Senior police and traffic officers along with the BMC should prepare some strategy and find a permanent solution to address this," she added.