Mumbai: BMC’s parking pool plan hits roadblock

Civic officials said the CPP will enable the citizens to access a large body of parking space and book slots online in advance

The civic body's plan to bring all private and public parking spaces together under one umbrella, making them available for everyone, has hit a hurdle. It is facing reluctance from the Tardeo RTO and The Willingdon Sports Club in D ward, sources said.

The BMC has chosen three wards - K West, S and D - for the pilot of its parking management plan - City Parking Pool (CPP) - drafted by the Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA). In these wards, the MPA will update the parking slots online, so that people can book them in advance, it will also be reducing the charges.

While several government agencies have come on board, a few are still to share their data, including the Tardeo RTO. Sources said that when the MPA reached out to Willingdon club to share their parking space and details, there was no cooperation. The club told the MPA that they hardly have space for their own members, so there was no question of sharing it with outsiders.

A civic source said, "When the survey was done by a team of the MPA at the RTO and the club, there was reluctance and no cooperation. And when we approach the private spaces, if the government agencies cannot join the pool, how can we? This immediately needs to be taken care of. The MPA has approached the civic commissioner for intervention."

Tardeo RTO chief Pradeep Shinde said, "We have already provided the MPA with whatever details they require. There is a proposed parking building on our premises, but it is still under planning. We will readily give them the space for public use when we have any. But, we don't have the space they need."

The higher management has not been approached by the BMC or the MPA members in this regard, the club told mid-day.

Prashant Gaikwad, assistant municipal commissioner, D ward, said, "We will be implementing the comprehensive parking management plan in our ward soon, and we will coordinate with the other agencies as needed. We will soon conduct meetings with the RTO and the club management to try and get them on board."

Civic officials said the CPP will enable the citizens to access a large body of parking space and book slots online in advance. The space-sharing stakeholders will contribute in enhancing city mobility by optimising off-street parking. The mapping of all available parking spaces in the city is still underway, after once done, the MPA will create a single interface wherein all data will be uploaded for citizens and service providers.

What is CPP

The City Parking Pool is an initiative of the MPA where it has conceptualised a scenario in which all agencies and stakeholders that have parking spaces join hands to create a common pool of parking, without losing ownership, revenue and overall control on their property. All levels of government, offices, malls, other commercial hubs, residential societies and any other entities are envisaged as key stakeholders in the CPP.