Mumbai: Want alternatives? Here they are, say Juhu locals

The locals don’t want the BMC to construct a parking lot under Pushpa Narsee Park. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Determined not to let the authorities create a parking lot under a JVPD garden, residents have now given a comprehensive plan of five alternative locations to the local MLA. The plan was made by them with architects. Locals said the five plots have no reservation conflicts and can together generate underground and multilevel parking for 2,500 to 3,000 cars. As per the BMC's plan, the underground, multilevel parking below Pushpa Narsee Park can accommodate up to 500 vehicles.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), due to demands from local MLAs, had proposed to build underground parking lots at Pushpa Narsee Park at JVPD Scheme in Juhu as a solution to rampant parking on roads. Local residents have protested against the idea, saying the civic body will chop trees for the project. They also highlighted concerns about flooding.

One of the suggested sites is an underground parking lot below this road between Pushpa Narsee Park and Jamnabai School playground

Now, in a letter to local MLA Amit Satam, the citizens have mentioned five plots which they said can be alternatives. The locations are - the BMC yard along Irla Nullah from the 6th to 9th N.S. Roads; below a road between Pushpa Narsee Park and Jamnabai School playground; Cooper Hospital; existing parking lot opposite Tulip Star Hotel and existing parking lot opposite Ramada Palm Grove Hotel. The letter further stated that these identified spaces have no reservation conflict in the Development Plan and can easily be used to address the on road parking issues that the area is facing. The underground and multilevel parking at these spaces they said, can generate parking for 2,500-3,000 cars.

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Plan discussed with MLA

The proposal has been prepared in consultation with architects, planners and neighbourhood residents, with detailed designs of the alternative sites. "We have met MLA Amit Satam and discussed the plan with him," said Samarth Das, a Juhu resident from PK Das & Associates, a renowned architect firm. The citizens had written a letter to MLA and BMC on February 22 requesting them to drop the plan for underground parking at the park.

Earlier, MLA Satam had written to the local residents saying many vehicles are parked on roads, causing congestion, inconvenience to locals and even law and order problems at times. After the construction of underground parking lots, the garden above can be retained and this can be a win-win situation. The JVPD association president Paramjit Ghai also had appealed to residents to work in cohesion instead of cross purposes in resolving the problems. He stated further, we need both parks and parking lots.

Online petition still strong

Citizens held a meeting two weeks back to discuss the parking lot under Pushpa Narsee Park and finding alternative solutions. They also started an online petition and it has been signed by more than 4,500 people across the city so far. The residents had also written to the BMC chief on February 22, suggesting an alternative site for the proposed parking lot - BMC yard along Irla nullah from 6th to 9th NS roads, measuring 10,000 square metres. A three-level parking lot here they said can accommodate more than 1,000 cars. Now they have submitted another detailed proposal. Satam told mid-day that he will inform them about the feasibility of the proposal on Saturday.